bagnio
|bag-ni-o|
🇺🇸
/ˈbæɡni.oʊ/
🇬🇧
/ˈbæɡniəʊ/
place for bathing (later extended to brothel/confinement)
Etymology
'bagnio' originates from Italian, specifically the word 'bagno', where 'bagno' meant 'bath'.
'bagnio' was borrowed into English (from Italian 'bagno', sometimes via French usage) in the 17th century as a term for a bath-house and later acquired extended senses such as 'brothel' and 'place of confinement'.
Initially it meant 'bath' or 'bath-house', but over time it evolved to include 'brothel' and, in some contexts, 'a small prison' or place of confinement.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a bath-house or public baths (original and literal sense; historically common in Mediterranean contexts).
The travelers visited the local bagnio to bathe after the long journey.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a brothel or house of prostitution (a later, extended and chiefly historical meaning in English).
In 18th-century pamphlets the term bagnio often meant a secretive brothel.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/31 11:04