bawdry
Americannoun
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Archaic. lewdness; obscenity; bawdiness.
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Obsolete.
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the business of a prostitute.
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illicit intercourse; fornication.
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noun
Etymology
Origin of bawdry
First recorded in 1350–1400, bawdry is from the Middle English word bawdery. See bawd, -ery
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Its bawdry is innocent, its humor earthy, its love songs are unselfconsciously sentimental.
From Time Magazine Archive
He can achieve piercing moments of self-revelation, only to resort to vaudevillian bits of bawdry or sink into bathos.
From Time Magazine Archive
The show evolves in play-within-a-play fashion from an opening square dance, and the book, lyrics, music and choreography mesh delightfully to create the mood of innocent bawdry and rustic high jinks.
From Time Magazine Archive
It's movie analysis with a serrated edge; film criticism as stand-up bawdry; intellectual improvisation that soars into the highest form of word jazz.
From Time Magazine Archive
He also weakened his argument by finding bawdry where there was none, overlooking the many unquestionably off-color passages in the Restoration plays.
From A Letter to A.H. Esq.; Concerning the Stage (1698) and The Occasional Paper No. IX (1698) by Anonymous
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