Bordello
/bɔːrˈdɛl.oʊ/noun
A building or establishment where prostitutes work.
Did you know?In medieval European usage, bordel could mean both a small hut and a brothel, likely because such establishments were associated with modest roadside structures.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Germanic
*burdą
“Board or plank of wood”
Medieval Latin
Latin
bordellum
“Small hut or crude shelter”
12th Century
Old French
bordel
“Little house, hut; later, a brothel”
13th Century
Italian
bordello
“Brothel; literally a small hut or humble dwelling”
16th Century
English
bordell
“Brothel”
Modern English
English
bordello
“An establishment where prostitutes work”