bawdy

English

Etymology

bawd +‎ -y.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ˈbɔːdi/
• (US) IPA: /ˈbɔdi/
• Rhymes: -ɔːdi

Adjective

bawdy (comparative bawdier or more bawdy, superlative bawdiest or most bawdy)

1. (obsolete) Soiled, dirty. [from 14th Century]
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book VI:

     Thou stynkyst all of the kychyn – thy clothis bene bawdy of the grece and talow.

2. Obscene; filthy; unchaste. [from 15th Century]
3. (of language) Sexual in nature and usually meant to be humorous but considered rude.

Derived terms

• bawdily
• bawdiness
• bawdy house

Translations

obscene

• Bulgarian: неприличен, нецензурен
• Greek: αισχρός (el) (aischrós) m, άσεμνος (el) (ásemnos) m

• Serbo-Croatian: nepristojan m prost m

References

• “bawdy” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).