English

Alternative forms

• bawdy house, bawdyhouse

Noun

bawdy-house ‎(plural bawdy-houses)

1. (now chiefly historical, formal) A brothel; a house of prostitution.
   • 2012, Faramerz Dabhoiwala, The Origins of Sex, Penguin 2013, p. 57:

     The spread of venereal disease slaughtered innocent wives and families by the thousands; the plague of bawdy houses destroyed the peace and livelihood of honest citizens.

Derived terms

• bawdy-house bottle