Definition
The plural form of bordel; multiple brothels or houses of prostitution, using the French or anglicized plural ending.
Etymology
From Old French 'bordel' plus the English plural '-s' ending. This represents the anglicization of the French term into English vocabulary during the medieval period.
Kelly Says
Having both 'bordels' and 'bordellos' in English shows how the same concept arrived through different European languages—Italian merchants and French cultural influence both shaped what we called these places.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ማህበራዊ አማር
ma-he-ba-ri aw-mar
DEDeutsch
Bordelle
bor-də-lə
ELΕλληνικά
αστεία
as-te-a
ESEspañol
bordeles
bor-deh-les
FAفارسی
خانه فسق
khaaneh fasq
FISuomi
bordelli
bor-del-li
FRFrançais
bordels
bɔʁ.dɛl
HAHA
gidan mace
gi-dan ma-ce
HEעברית
בית זנות
beit z'not
HIहिन्दी
वेश्याघर
ve-sha-ya-ghar
HUMagyar
bordelló
bor-del-lo
IDBahasa Indonesia
rumah bordil
roo-mah bor-dil
ITItaliano
bordelli
bor-del-li
MSBahasa Melayu
bordel
bor-del
MYမြန်မာ
ရုပ်ပုံ
yut-pu-ng
NLNederlands
bordelen
bor-de-len
PLPolski
burdele
bur-de-le
PTPortuguês
bordel
bor-del
RUРусский
бордели
bor-de-li
SVSvenska
bordell
bor-dell
SWKiswahili
bordeli
bor-de-li
TAதமிழ்
பொதுக்கூடம்
pothu-koo-dam
TEతెలుగు
ప్రాణిగృహం
pra-ni-gri-ham
THไทย
สถานบริการ
sa-than ba-ra-ni
TRTürkçe
bordellolar
bor-de-llo-lar
UKУкраїнська
борделі
bor-de-li
VITiếng Việt
nhà chứa
nha-chua
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Bordel/bordels (French/plural) refers to brothels with historical connotations similar to bordello—conflating space with women's labor and moral judgment.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'maisons de prostitution' (houses of prostitution) or center 'sex work' terminology to discuss labor rather than venue.
Inclusive Alternatives
["maisons de prostitution","sex work venue"]