Meaning

noun a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *bʰóltosder. Proto-Germanic *balþaz Frankish *balþbor. Old French baudbor. Middle English bawde English bawd From Middle English bawde, baude, from Old French baud (“bold, lively, jolly, gay”). Doublet of bold. An association with Welsh bawddyn (“dirty fellow, scoundrel”), from baw (“dirt”), was suggested by…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0