brothel

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• General-American: /ˈbɹɔθəl/
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• General-American: /ˈbɹɔðəl/
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈbɹɒθəl/
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• Received-Pronunciation, obsolete: /ˈbɹɒðəl/
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• cot-caught-merger: /ˈbɹɑθəl/
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• cot-caught-merger: /ˈbɹɑðəl/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -ɒθəl
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• rhymes with -ɒðəl
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• CMU ARPABET: B R AA1 TH AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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Short for brothel-house (“house of prostitution”), from brothel (“a wretch; scoundrel; lecher; harlot; prostitute”) + house, influenced by bordel. For more on brothel (“a wretch”), see below.

From Middle English brothel, brodel, brodelle, brethel (“a wretch, a depraved man or woman”) (compare also Middle English bretheling (“a wretch”)), apparently from an unrecorded Old English *brēoþel (“degenerative, corruptive”), related to Old English ābrēoþan (“to unsettle, degrade, ruin, frustrate, degenerate, deteriorate, fall away”); Old English ābroþen (“degenerate, base, trifling”); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *breuþaną (“to fall apart; crumble”). The expected modern English form would be *broddle (see fiddle); the failure of the change from /ðl/ to /dl/ may be because of the intervening schwa in the word's uninflected forms, influence from the verb, or most likely, a dialectal development (compare stathel besides staddle).

230 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Afrikaans: bordeel — house of prostitution
• Albanian: shtëpi publike — house of prostitution
• Albanian: bordello — house of prostitution
• Albanian: bordel — house of prostitution
• Arabic: بَيْت دَعَارَة (bayt daʕāra) — house of prostitution
• Arabic: مَبْغًى (mabḡan) — house of prostitution
• Arabic: كَرْخَانَة (karḵāna) — house of prostitution
• Arabic: بَيْت التَّسَامُح (bayt at-tasāmuḥ) — house of prostitution
• Armenian: պոռնկանոց (poṙnkanocʻ) — house of prostitution
• Armenian: հասարակաց տուն (hasarakacʻ tun) — house of prostitution
• Armenian: պոռնկատուն (poṙnkatun) — house of prostitution
• Armenian: բորդել (bordel) — house of prostitution
• Azerbaijani: fahişəxana — house of prostitution
• Azerbaijani: əxlaqsızlıq yuvası — house of prostitution
• Azerbaijani: qəhbəxana — house of prostitution
• Basque: putetxe — house of prostitution
• Belarusian: бардэ́ль (bardélʹ) — house of prostitution
• Belarusian: публі́чны дом (publíčny dom) — house of prostitution
• Belarusian: дом цярпі́масці (dom cjarpímasci) — house of prostitution
• Bengali: বেশ্যালয় (beśśaloẏ) — house of prostitution
• Bulgarian: борде́й (bordéj) — house of prostitution
• Bulgarian: барда́к (bardák) — house of prostitution
• Bulgarian: публи́чен дом (publíčen dom) — house of prostitution
• Catalan: bordell — house of prostitution
• Catalan: prostíbul — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 妓院 (jìyuàn) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 勾欄 /勾栏 (gōulán) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 行院 (hángyuàn) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 花柳 (huāliǔ) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 青樓 /青楼 (qīnglóu) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 堂子 (tángzi) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 煙花柳巷 /烟花柳巷 (yānhuāliǔxiàng) — house of prostitution
• Chinese Mandarin: 窯子 /窑子 (yáozi) — house of prostitution
• Czech: nevěstinec — house of prostitution
• Czech: bordel — house of prostitution
• Danish: bordel — house of prostitution
• Danish: horehus — house of prostitution
• Daur: яус (jaus) — house of prostitution
• Dutch: bordeel — house of prostitution
• Dutch: hoerenhuis — house of prostitution
• Dutch: hoerhuis — house of prostitution
• Esperanto: malĉastejo — house of prostitution
• Estonian: bordell — house of prostitution
• Estonian: lõbumaja — house of prostitution
• Finnish: bordelli — house of prostitution
• Finnish: ilotalo — house of prostitution
• Finnish: porttola — house of prostitution
• French: bordel — house of prostitution
• French: boxon — house of prostitution
• French: lupanar — house of prostitution
• French: maison close — house of prostitution
• French: maison de tolérance — house of prostitution
• French: privé — house of prostitution
• West-Frisian: huorrehûs — house of prostitution
• Gagauz: madaralık evi — house of prostitution
• Galician: bordel — house of prostitution
• Galician: burdallo — house of prostitution
• Galician: alcouce — house of prostitution
• Georgian: საროსკიპო (sarosḳiṗo) — house of prostitution
• Georgian: ბორდელი (bordeli) — house of prostitution
• German: Bordell — house of prostitution
• German: Freudenhaus — house of prostitution
• German: Hurenhaus — house of prostitution
• German: Puff — house of prostitution
• Greek: οίκος ανοχής (oíkos anochís) — house of prostitution
• Greek: πορνείο (porneío) — house of prostitution
• Greek: χαμαιτυπείο (chamaitypeío) — house of prostitution
• Ancient Greek: πορνοβοσκεῖον (pornoboskeîon) — house of prostitution
• Ancient Greek: πορνεῖον (porneîon) — house of prostitution
• Ancient Greek: χαμαιτυπεῖον (khamaitupeîon) — house of prostitution
• Hausa: gidan mata — house of prostitution
• Hebrew: בֵּית בֹּשֶׁת (bet bóshet) — house of prostitution
• Hindi: चकला (caklā) — house of prostitution
• Hindi: वेश्यालय (veśyālay) — house of prostitution
• Hindi: कोठा (koṭhā) — house of prostitution
• Hungarian: bordély — house of prostitution
• Hungarian: bordélyház — house of prostitution
• Hungarian: kupleráj — house of prostitution
• Hungarian: nyilvánosház — house of prostitution
• Icelandic: hóruhús — house of prostitution
• Icelandic: pútnahús — house of prostitution
• Icelandic: vændishús — house of prostitution
• Ido: lupanaro — house of prostitution
• Indonesian: bordil — house of prostitution
• Indonesian: rumah pelacuran — house of prostitution
• Ingrian: bardakka — house of prostitution
• Italian: bordello — house of prostitution
• Italian: casino — house of prostitution
• Italian: casa d'appuntamenti — house of prostitution
• Italian: postribolo — house of prostitution
• Italian: lupanare — house of prostitution
• Italian: casa chiusa — house of prostitution
• Italian: casa di tolleranza — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 売春宿 (baishun'yado) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 妓楼 (girō) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 娼館 (shōkan) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 女郎屋 (jorōya) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 青楼 (seirō) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 遊女屋 (yūjoya) — house of prostitution
• Japanese: 娼家 (shōka) — house of prostitution
• Kazakh: жезөкшелер үйі (jezökşeler üiı) — house of prostitution
• Khmer: ពេស្យាស្ថាន (peihsyaasthaan) — house of prostitution
• Khmer: រោងស្រី (roong srəy) — house of prostitution
• Khmer: រតិគ្រឹះ (rĕəʼtekrɨh) — house of prostitution
• Korean: 매음굴 (maeeumgul) — house of prostitution
• Korean: 갈보집 (galbojip) — house of prostitution
• Korean: 매춘굴 (maechun'gul) — house of prostitution
• Korean: 매춘소 (maechunso) — house of prostitution
• Kyrgyz: бордель (bordel) — house of prostitution
• Lao: ໂຮງໂສເພນີ (hōng sō phē nī) — house of prostitution
• Latin: lupānar — house of prostitution
• Latin: fornix — house of prostitution
• Latvian: bordelis — house of prostitution
• Lithuanian: bordelis — house of prostitution
• Lithuanian: viešnamis — house of prostitution
• Low German: Bordell — house of prostitution
• Low German: Horenhuus — house of prostitution
• Macedonian: ја́вна ку́ќа (jávna kúḱa) — house of prostitution
• Macedonian: бо́рдел (bórdel) — house of prostitution
• Macedonian: курва́рница (kurvárnica) — house of prostitution
• Macedonian: куплера́ј (kupleráj) — house of prostitution
• Malay: rumah pelacuran — house of prostitution
• Malay: rumah ayam — house of prostitution
• Maltese: burdell — house of prostitution
• Māori: whare kairau — house of prostitution
• Marathi: वेश्यागृह (veśyāgŕh) — house of prostitution
• Mongolian: янхны газар (janxny gazar) — house of prostitution
• Mongolian: эмсийн хүрээлэн (emsiin xüreelen) — house of prostitution
• Mongolian: янхны гэр (janxny ger) — house of prostitution
• Nahuatl: ahuiyanicalli — house of prostitution
• Norwegian Bokmål: bordell — house of prostitution
• Norwegian Bokmål: horehus — house of prostitution
• Norwegian Nynorsk: bordell — house of prostitution
• Norwegian Nynorsk: horehus — house of prostitution
• Church Slavic: блѫдилище (blǫdilište) — house of prostitution
• Church Slavic: цѧтоимьство (cętoimĭstvo) — house of prostitution
• Old English: forliġerhūs — house of prostitution
• Old English: scandhūs — house of prostitution
• Iranian Persian: فاحِشِهخانِه (fâheše-xâne) — house of prostitution
• Iranian Persian: روسْپیخانِه (ruspi-xâne) — house of prostitution
• Iranian Persian: جِنْدِهخانِه (jende-xâne) — house of prostitution
• Iranian Persian: قَحْبِهخانِه (ġahbe-xâne) — house of prostitution
• Plautdietsch: Huarenhus — house of prostitution
• Polish: agencja towarzyska — house of prostitution
• Polish: burdel — house of prostitution
• Polish: dom publiczny — house of prostitution
• Polish: lupanar — house of prostitution
• Polish: zamtuz — house of prostitution
• Polish: bajzel — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: bordel — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: lupanar — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: prostíbulo — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: putaria — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: puteiro — house of prostitution
• Portuguese: randevu — house of prostitution
• Romanian: bordel — house of prostitution
• Romanian: lupanar — house of prostitution
• Romanian: casă de prostituție — house of prostitution
• Romanian: casă de toleranță — house of prostitution
• Romansh: burdel — house of prostitution
• Russian: борде́ль (bordɛ́lʹ) — house of prostitution
• Russian: публи́чный дом (publíčnyj dom) — house of prostitution
• Russian: дом терпи́мости (dom terpímosti) — house of prostitution
• Russian: барда́к (bardák) — house of prostitution
• Russian: блуди́лище (bludílišče) — house of prostitution
• Russian: лупана́рий (lupanárij) — house of prostitution
• Saanich: QEṮÁU ̧TW̱ — house of prostitution
• Sanskrit: वेशवास (veśavāsa) — house of prostitution
• Sanskrit: कुट्टिनी-गृह (kuṭṭinī-gṛha) — house of prostitution
• Sanskrit: रतिमन्दिर (ratimandira) — house of prostitution
• Sanskrit: वेश्याजनाश्रय (veśyājanāśraya) — house of prostitution
• Scottish Gaelic: taigh-siùrsachd — house of prostitution
• Scottish Gaelic: taigh-strìopachais — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: блу́дилиште — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: бо̀рдел — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: бурдељ — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: јавна кућа — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: куплѐра̄ј — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: blúdilište — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: bòrdel — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: burdelj — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: javna kuća — house of prostitution
• Serbo-Croatian: kuplèrāj — house of prostitution
• Slovak: bordel — house of prostitution
• Slovak: verejný dom — house of prostitution
• Slovak: nevestinec — house of prostitution
• Slovene: bordel — house of prostitution
• Slovene: javna hiša — house of prostitution
• Spanish: prostíbulo — house of prostitution
• Spanish: puticlub — house of prostitution
• Spanish: bulín — house of prostitution
• Spanish: burdel — house of prostitution
• Spanish: lupanar — house of prostitution
• Spanish: mancebía — house of prostitution
• Spanish: casa de putas — house of prostitution
• Spanish: casa de citas — house of prostitution
• Spanish: casa de prostitución — house of prostitution
• Spanish: casa de lenocinio — house of prostitution
• Swahili: danguro — house of prostitution
• Swahili: madanguro — house of prostitution
• Swedish: bordell — house of prostitution
• Swedish: glädjehus — house of prostitution
• Swedish: horhus — house of prostitution
• Tajik: фоҳишахона (fohišaxona) — house of prostitution
• Thai: ซ่อง (sɔ̂ng) — house of prostitution
• Thai: โรงหญิงโสเภณี (roong-yǐng-sǒo-pee-nii) — house of prostitution
• Thai: ซ่องโสเภณี (sɔ̂ɔng-sǒo-pee-nii) — house of prostitution
• Tok Pisin: haus pamuk — house of prostitution
• Turkish: genelev — house of prostitution
• Turkish: kerhane — house of prostitution
• Turkish: umumhane — house of prostitution
• Ottoman Turkish: عمومخانه (umumhane) — house of prostitution
• Ottoman Turkish: فاحشه خانه (fâhişe hane) — house of prostitution
• Ottoman Turkish: كارخانه (kârhane) — house of prostitution
• Ottoman Turkish: كرخانه (kerhane) — house of prostitution
• Turkmen: bordel — house of prostitution
• Ukrainian: борде́ль (bordélʹ) — house of prostitution
• Ukrainian: буди́нок розпу́сти (budýnok rozpústy) — house of prostitution
• Ukrainian: публі́чний буди́нок (publíčnyj budýnok) — house of prostitution
• Ukrainian: дім розпу́сти (dim rozpústy) — house of prostitution
• Urdu: چَکْلَہ (cakla) — house of prostitution
• Urdu: کوٹھا (koṭhā) — house of prostitution
• Uyghur: پاھىشىخانا (pahishixana) — house of prostitution
• Uyghur: پاھىشخانا (pahishxana) — house of prostitution
• Uzbek: fohishaxona — house of prostitution
• Uzbek: bordel — house of prostitution
• Uzbek: islavotxona — house of prostitution
• Vietnamese: nhà thổ — house of prostitution
• Vietnamese: nhà chứa — house of prostitution
• Yiddish: שאַנדהויז (shandhoyz) — house of prostitution