Magdalene laundry
English
editEtymology
editNamed after Mary Magdalene, traditionally associated with prostitution and patron saint of penitent sinners.
Noun
editMagdalene laundry (plural Magdalene laundries)
- (historical, chiefly Ireland) A religious facility in which prostitutes and unmarried mothers were kept, usually against their will, as a source of forced labour to launder clothes.