Plural of bawdy; can refer to women who work in or manage brothels, or to bawdy stories and jokes collectively.
Plural form of bawdy, from the same origin as bawdier. Originally referred specifically to people, especially women associated with disreputable establishments, before broadening to include the bawdy content itself.
This word shows how language evolves—the original meaning was about people in the sex trade, but over time it shifted to mean the jokes and stories associated with that world, making it more abstract and less directly tied to actual people.
Plural of 'bawd.' Same gendered history as 'bawd'—women who managed sex work were labeled with this term, which became pejorative despite their economic role.
Use 'brothel managers' or 'procurers' for neutral reference. If historical context requires 'bawds,' acknowledge the gendered stigma in the term.
["brothel managers","procurers"]
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.