bridewell

American  

[brahyd-wel, -wuhl] / ˈbraɪdˌwɛl, -wəl /

noun

British.

1. a prison.

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bridewell British  

/ -wəl, ˈbraɪdˌwɛl /

noun

1. a house of correction; jail, esp for minor offences

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Etymology

Origin of bridewell

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

Example Sentences

After two weeks in the bridewell, Novelist Yehling changed his literary plans: "I think I'll join the Army and try to write a better book than Tolstoi's War and Peace."

From Time Magazine Archive

Very sure I am that in Boston or Salem or Plymouth she would see the bridewell and he the stocks for half as much.

From The Refugees by Doyle, Arthur Conan, Sir

The cove was hued in the naskin;   the rogue was soundly lashed in bridewell.

From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Grose, Francis

To mill doll; to beat hemp in bridewell.

From 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue by Grose, Francis

The bridewell was a small low-studded chamber built up against the rear end of the Meat Market, and approached from the Square by a narrow passage-way.

From The Story of a Bad Boy by Aldrich, Thomas Bailey