bridewell

noun

bride·​well ˈbrīd-ˌwel 

-wəl

: prison

Synonyms

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• cooler
• coop
• guardroom
• hock
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• lockup
• nick [British slang]
• pen
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of bridewell in a Sentence

the citadel was later converted into a bridewell to house the city's growing criminal population

Word History

Etymology

Bridewell, London jail

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined above