A disreputable drinking establishment or tavern, especially one frequented by sailors or rough characters.
From 'bowse' (to drink heavily) plus the suffix '-ery' (place where something happens). Emerged in sailor slang as a place associated with heavy drinking and rowdy behavior.
Medieval sailors had their own word for seedy bars—'bowseries' were where the ship's crew would stumble off the dock, probably still soaked with seawater and ready to make terrible decisions.
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