bordello

From Italian bordello. Distantly related to brothel, through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- (“to carve, cut, split, rub”). Doublet of bordel.

• IPA^(key): /bɔː(ɹ)ˈdɛləʊ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛləʊ

bordello (plural bordellos or bordelloes)

1. A brothel.
   • 2023 August 31, William Meny & Paul Simms, “A Weekend at Morrigan Manor” (9:33 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows‎^[1], season 5, episode 9, spoken by Nadja of Antipaxos (Natasia Demetriou):

     “You know, this house does have a belfry filled with local bats. Maybe Laszlo went up there.” “Oh, so like my darling perverted husband, to sniff out the local bordello immediately upon arrival. [chuckles] Could you take me to the belfry?”

• door-bell, doorbell

From Old French bordel (“small hut, cabin; brothel”), diminutive of bord, from Medieval Latin bordellum, from Frankish *bord (“board”), from Proto-Germanic *burdą (“board, table”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥dʰ-o- (“board”), suffixed zero-grade form of *bʰer-edʰ- (“to cut”), suffixed form of *bʰer- (“to carve, cut, split, rub”).

• IPA^(key): /borˈdɛl.lo/
• Rhymes: -ɛllo
• Hyphenation: bor‧dèl‧lo

bordello m (plural bordelli)

1. (colloquial, vulgar) brothel
2. (informal, slightly vulgar) great chaos or confusion
3. (informal, slightly vulgar) a large quantity

bordellō

1. dative/ablative singular of bordellum