Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “bawdy” come from?

Bawdy comes from Middle English -y, Middle French -ie, Latin -ia, Latin -ivus, Latin -ia, Proto-Indo-European -kos, and Proto-Indo-European -kos.

bawdy (English): Soiled, dirty; Obscene; filthy; unchaste; Sexual...

Definitions

  1. Soiled, dirty; Obscene; filthy; unchaste; Sexual...

Ancestry of “bawdy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbawdA person who keeps a house of prostitution, or...
2Middle Englishbawde—
3Old Frenchbaudbold; brave; cheerful; full of ardour
4Frankishbalþbold, brave
5Proto-Germanicbalþazstrong, bold
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰel-to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to...
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰōl-—

Words derived from “bawdy”

  • bawdiness
  • bawdily
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl- →