bridewell

[ brahyd-wel, -wuhl ]

nounBritish.

a prison.

Origin of bridewell

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

Words Nearby bridewell

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bridewell in a sentence

bridewell, the name of the famous prison, also came from the name of a well dedicated to St. Bride.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill
Th' coort wud give him a letther of inthroduction to th' bridewell an' he cud stay there f'r two hundhred days.
Mr. Dooley Says | Finley Dunne
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
He underwent an examination; but, refusing to make any confession, he was sent to Tothill-fields bridewell.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2 | Camden Pelham
He was immediately conveyed to Tothill-fields bridewell, where he remained till he was again sent out of the country.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2 | Camden Pelham

British Dictionary definitions for bridewell

bridewell

/ (ˈbraɪdˌwɛl, -wəl) /

noun

a house of correction; jail, esp for minor offences

Origin of 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

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