English

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Etymology

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Inherited from Middle English bathhous, bathous, from Old English bæþhūs (bathhouse), equivalent to bath +‎ house. Cognate with Dutch badhuis (bathhouse), German Badehaus (bathhouse), German Low German Baadhuus, Boodhuus (bathhouse), Danish badehus (bathhouse), Norwegian Bokmål badehus (bathhouse), Norwegian Nynorsk badehus (bathhouse), Swedish badhus (bathhouse).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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bathhouse (plural bathhouses)

  1. A building with baths for communal use.
    • 2009, Rona Sharon, Royal Blood:
      [] a plethora of taverns, victuals, brew houses, hostelries, bathhouses, brothels, bearbaiting and bullbaiting arenas jostled for space with shops of stockfishmongers, garlicmongers, and bakemongers.
    • 2019 March 16, “North China landslide knocks over homes, killing 7”, in AP News[1], archived from the original on 2023-06-26[2]:
      The landslide hit Xiangning county in Shanxi province early Friday evening, provincial authorities said. Two residential buildings, home to a total of 14 households, and a public bathhouse collapsed under the weight of the falling earth.
  2. A building where swimmers can change clothes.
  3. A business with bath-like facilities, which chiefly serves as a place for sexual encounters, especially among men.

Usage notes

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Derived terms

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Translations

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