bridewell C2+ Topic:House & Home US /ˈbraɪdwɛl/ UK /ˈbraɪdwɛl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun (archaic) a prison or house of correction Vagrants were once locked up in the local bridewell. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · (archaic) a prison or house... prisongaoljailpenitentiaryreformatorylockup Etymology AI details An eponym from St Bride's Well in London, near which stood a royal palace later turned into a house of correction; the name became a generic term for a prison. Topics House & Home Register & Style External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # bridewell **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbraɪdwɛl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbraɪdwɛl/ ## Meanings 1. (archaic) a prison or house of correction ## Examples - Vagrants were once locked up in the local bridewell. ## Synonyms - prison - gaol - jail - penitentiary - reformatory - lockup ## Etymology An eponym from St Bride's Well in London, near which stood a royal palace later turned into a house of correction; the name became a generic term for a prison. ## AI Etymology Bridewell is a noun meaning "(archaic) a prison or house of correction". Historically, it is an eponym from St Bride's Well in London, near which stood a royal palace later turned into a house of correction; the name became a generic term for a prison. The semantic history matters here: the earlier use is the starting point, and the modern sense, "(archaic) a prison or house of correction", is the later or specialized English value. ## Topics - House & Home - Register & Style markdown