Where does “brothel” come from?

brothel (Middle English) comes from Old English brēoþel, from Proto-Germanic breuþaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- — to bear, carry.

Ancestry of “brothel”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishbrēoþeldegenerative, corruptive
2Proto-Germanicbreuþanąto fall apart; crumble
3Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰer-to bear, carry

Words derived from “brothel”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰer- →Every word from Proto-Germanic breuþaną →Every word from Old English brēoþel →