Bothel or Bordello? - difference

[pong]

Out of curiosity from anonnative English: What do you, native english or amerinlish speakers, think is the difference-if there is any, between these words? The main meaning is obviously the same. Words of course have more sensitive meanings, that may differ between countries. To me it seems B-lo is more american and maybe a little more affectionate? But correct me if this is wrong and how you think it should be looked at?

[Bob]

The words "brothel" and a "bordello" have the same meaning, both in general describing a house of prostitution. "Bordello" is of obvious French derivation but I have no idea about "brothel." I don't see either word as being either more polite or harsher than the other.

[Guest fountainhall]

The word "brothel" is short for brothel-house, which seems to come from the Middle English word "brothel" meaning prostitute. This further derives from the word "brothen", past participle of "brethen", meaning to go to ruin, from Old English "brothan".

 

"Bordello" I think actually comes from Italian rather than French and usually means the same - a "brothel" - but it sometimes referred to a "Gentleman's Club", presumably one with a lot of working girls inside! It is clearly more European and perhaps slightly less vulgar than "brothel". Europeans, of course, were accustomed to tales of the Turkish harems, also called seraglios, as depicted in Mozart's opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio" - or to give it its proper German title, "Die Entführung aus dem Serail".

 

Amazing what you can dig up in wikipedia!!

[kokopelli]

Out of curiosity from anonnative English: What do you, native english or amerinlish speakers, think is the difference-if there is any, between these words? The main meaning is obviously the same. Words of course have more sensitive meanings, that may differ between countries. To me it seems B-lo is more american and maybe a little more affectionate? But correct me if this is wrong and how you think it should be looked at?

 

Pong; I have been wanting to ask just what is your nationality since you are "anonnative"? Your writing style is unique and often tricky to understand. For example, what is "B-lo"?

[Guest fountainhall]

For example, what is "B-lo"?

Sure that is shorthand for "bordello"?

[kokopelli]

I am not much into texting so am not familiar with many shorthand expressions such as those Pong sprinkles into his postings.

[KhorTose]

The words "brothel" and a "bordello" have the same meaning, both in general describing a house of prostitution. "Bordello" is of obvious French derivation but I have no idea about "brothel." I don't see either word as being either more polite or harsher than the other.

 

I looked it up and it comes from old English, probably the root is Germanic. However, the present German word for decay is Verfallen which sort of sounds more like a whore house then Breothen

 

Short for brothel-house, from Middle English brothel, prostitute, from brothen, past participle of brethen, to go to ruin, from Old English brothan, to decay.]

[Guest fountainhall]

It seems there are three possible derivations of bordello - Italian, French and German!

 

bor·del·lo (bôr-dl)

n. pl. bor·del·los

A house of prostitution.

[italian, from Old French bordel, from borde, wooden hut, of Germanic origin.]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bordello

 

And dictionary.reference.com does not mention German -

Origin:

1590–1600; < Italian < Old French bordel bordel

Whatever the real derivation, the word itself surely sounds more Italian than either of the other two languages. But at least we know exactly what it means