See Also: brothel(dictionary)
brothel(dictionary)

brothel (iou)



brothel noun. LME.
[Ult. from Old English breoTan deteriorate, degenerate, of unkn. origin. In sense 3 abbreviation of brothel-house, infl. by and superseding BORDEL.]
A worthless wretch, a good-for-nothing. LME-L16.
A prostitute. LME-E17.
A house where prostitutes work. L16.
Comb.: brothel-creepers slang soft-soled (usu. suede) shoes; brothel-house arch. = sense 3 above.
brotheller noun a whoremonger E17-E19.
brothelly adjective (rare) whorish E17.
brothelry noun (a) arch. lewdness; (b) a brothel: M16.