Bawtry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small village in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster, South Yorkshire, in northern England, historically located on the Great North Road
2. A rural English village in South Yorkshire lying within the Doncaster district, near the border with Nottinghamshire
3. A settlement in the county of South Yorkshire in northern England, known for its historic market and roadside character

Etymology: Bawtry is a variant of "bawdry," an older word for lewd conduct and the talk that went with it. "Bawdry" comes from "bawd," a word for a procuress or a keeper of a brothel. "Bawd" is usually traced to Old French "baude," meaning merry or lively, so the word once carried a cheerful, sensual sense before it became a term of disapproval. Readers who meet the word in older texts should take it as a near-synonym of "bawdry," not as a reference to the South Yorkshire town of the same name.