brothel

views updated May 29 2018

broth·el / ˈbrä[unvoicedth]əl; ˈbrô[unvoicedth]əl/ • n. a house where men can visit prostitutes.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

brothel

views updated May 23 2018

brothel †worthless fellow XIV; †prostitute XV; bawdy-house XVI. ME. bropel, f. OE. ābroðen gone to ruin, pp. of brēoðan deteriorate, degenerate, of unkn. orig. In the present sense, short for †brothel-house, etc., by assoc. with earlier †bordel (- (O)F.), which it superseded.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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