bordello
House of disrepute
A bordello is a brothel—a house where prostitutes work.
The word has an old-fashioned, European flavor that sometimes lends it to euphemistic or literary use: The old bordello had been converted into a bed-and-breakfast.
It appears more often in historical fiction than in contemporary reporting on sex work.
Commercial sex establishment
- whorehouseCommercial sex establishment
- cathouseSlang for brothel
- red-lightTraffic control commanding halt
- madamFormal address for women
parlor · house of ill repute · bawdy house · den of iniquity · stews · seraglio · massage parlor · escort agency
- Toulouse-LautrecFin-de-siècle lithographer
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- fallen womanMorally disgraced female
- scarletBright orangish-red color
Zola · Maupassant · velvet curtains · chandelier · perfumed · rouge · corset · feather boa
America's lawless frontier era
- VictorianOf a prim era
- Moulin RougeHistoric Parisian cabaret
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- concubineSecondary female partner
demimonde · gaslight · saloon · frontier · gold rush · port town · ancient Rome · fin de siecle
Traffic control meaning halt
- velvet drapesSoft pile window fabric
- parlorFormal room for visitors
- foyerBuilding's entrance room
- waiting areaDesignated lingering space
staircase · shuttered windows · back alley · peephole · salon · anteroom · reception · balcony
brothel
Commercial sex establishment
- whorehouseCommercial sex establishment
- cathouseSlang for brothel
- red-lightTraffic control commanding halt
madam · parlor · house of ill repute · bawdy house · den of iniquity · stews · seraglio · massage parlor · escort agency · harem
Fantine
- Toulouse-LautrecFin-de-siècle lithographer
- decadenceMoral decline through excess
- fallen womanMorally disgraced female
Zola · Maupassant · scarlet · velvet curtains · chandelier · perfumed · rouge · corset · feather boa · absinthe
Wild West
America's lawless frontier era
- VictorianOf a prim era
- Moulin RougeHistoric Parisian cabaret
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
concubine · demimonde · gaslight · saloon · frontier · gold rush · port town · ancient Rome · fin de siecle
red light
Traffic control meaning halt
- velvet drapesSoft pile window fabric
- parlorFormal room for visitors
- foyerBuilding's entrance room
waiting area · staircase · shuttered windows · back alley · peephole · salon · anteroom · reception · balcony · facade
- Old Westcowboy, cowboys, cowgirl, sheriff, sheriffs
- Italian slangbasta, prego, ciao, bella, mica
- adult venuesstrip club, brothel, adult theater, sex shop, gentlemens club
- prostitutionbrothel, brothels, bordellos, sex work, sex workers
- sex tradeprostitution, sex work, sex worker, brothel, escort
- vice industriesstrip clubs, porn, pornography, adult entertainment, sex shops
bordellohotel
Commercial lodging establishment
inn · bed and breakfast · motel · hostel · guesthouse