bridewell

[ brahyd-wel, -wuh l ]

/ ˈbraɪdˌwɛl, -wəl /

noun British.

a prison.

Nearby words

bride, bride price, bride, saint, bridegroom, bridesmaid, bridewell, bridey, bridezilla, bridge, bridge chair, bridge circuit

Origin of bridewell

First recorded in 1545–55; after a prison that formerly stood near the church of St. Bride in London

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bridewell

"Just the kind of weather for a visit to the Bridewell, if so be matters were right there," Hiram said quickly.
The Minute Boys of Boston|James Otis
It should here be remembered that the “fine” system of Chicago places only the “obtuse” class in the Bridewell.
Degeneracy|Eugene S. Talbot
Forty or fifty night-walkers were sent every week to Bridewell, and numbers were induced to emigrate to the colonies.
Introduction to the Science of Sociology|Robert E. Park
It was decided that from the revenue of the Bridewell hospital (£12,000) reformatory schools were to be built.
Old and New London|Walter Thornbury

To judge from the size of the Post-Office and "Bridewell," there is very little correspondence or crime.
A Little Tour In Ireland|S. Reynolds Hole

British Dictionary definitions for bridewell

bridewell

/ (ˈbraɪdˌwɛl, -wəl) /

noun

a house of correction; jail, esp for minor offences

Word Origin for bridewell

C16: after Bridewell (originally, St Bride's Well), a house of correction in London

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bridewell

bridewell

"prison," 1550s, from Bridewell, house of correction in London, originally a royal lodging (given by Edward VI for a hospital, later converted to a prison) near Bride's Well, short for St. Bridget's Well.