FreeScrabbleDictionary

bawd

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
10
Words With Friends
11
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/bɔːd/(UK)
See all 3 pronunciations
/bɔːd/(UK) · /bɔd/(US) · /bɑd/

Definition of bawd

5 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (archaic, historical)One who keeps a brothel, or procures women for prostitution; a procurer or madam.
    “Of late in the Park, a fair fancy was seen / Betwixt an old Baud and a lusty young Quean, / Their parting of Money began the uproar, / I'll have half says the Baud, but you shan't says the Whore”
    “As Whores decay'd and past their Labours, / Turn Bawds, and so assist their Neighbours.”
    “[…] here were no Gibers, Cenſurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets, Highwaymen, Houſebreakers, Attorneys, Bawds, Buffoons, Gameſters, Politicians, Wits, ſplenetick tedious Talkers, Controvertiſts, Raviſhers, Murderers, Robbers, Virtuoſo's; […]”
    “Compared with their opponents, bawds and their associates increasingly had deeper pockets and greater confidence in manipulating the law.”
See all 5 definitions

noun

  1. (archaic, historical)One who keeps a brothel, or procures women for prostitution; a procurer or madam.
    “Of late in the Park, a fair fancy was seen / Betwixt an old Baud and a lusty young Quean, / Their parting of Money began the uproar, / I'll have half says the Baud, but you shan't says the Whore”
    “As Whores decay'd and past their Labours, / Turn Bawds, and so assist their Neighbours.”
    “[…] here were no Gibers, Cenſurers, Backbiters, Pick-pockets, Highwaymen, Houſebreakers, Attorneys, Bawds, Buffoons, Gameſters, Politicians, Wits, ſplenetick tedious Talkers, Controvertiſts, Raviſhers, Murderers, Robbers, Virtuoſo's; […]”
    “Compared with their opponents, bawds and their associates increasingly had deeper pockets and greater confidence in manipulating the law.”
  2. (broadly, obsolete)A person who facilitates an immoral act, especially one of a sexual nature.
    “In ſaying this thou wrongſt me Gaueſton, / Iſt not enough that thou corrupts my Lord, / And art a Bawd to his affections, / But thou muſt call mine honour thus in queſtion?”
  3. A lewd person.

adj

  1. (obsolete)Joyous; riotously gay.

verb

  1. (archaic)To procure women for lewd purposes.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *bʰóltosder. Proto-Germanic *balþaz Frankish *balþbor. Old French baudbor. Middle English bawde English bawd From Middle English bawde, baude, from Old French baud (“bold, lively, jolly, gay”). Doublet of bold. An association with Welsh bawddyn (“dirty fellow, scoundrel”), from baw (“dirt”), was suggested by the Rev. Henry Todd.

Anagrams of bawd

2 plays · some not in Scrabble

Words you can make from bawd

10 playable · top: WAB (8 pts)

Best play wab 8 points

3-letter words

4 words

2-letter words

5 words

Hooks

2 extensions · 2 back

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