bordello

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A house of prostitution; in literary contexts, the term may evoke urban vice, exploitation, secrecy, or a morally compromised setting.

Detailed Definition
Bordello is a somewhat literary or old-fashioned word for a brothel. In poems and fiction, it can carry a stylized, decadent, or ironic tone rather than a neutral one.
Example
Example in poetry:
“In our virtual bordello” transfers a house of prostitution into digital imagery; the neon bordello suggests commerce, desire, and exploitation; a city poem sets its bordello behind velvet curtains and rain; contemporary speakers may use the word critically to question who profits from intimacy
Additional Notes
The word in "In our virtual bordello" is specialized and not everyday vocabulary for many readers.; Found in the poem, AI Fantasies by Richard
Also Known As
brothel house of ill repute den of iniquity pleasure palace
Skip to main content