Meanings
plural Magdalene laundries
- IrelandhistoricalA religious facility in which prostitutes and unmarried mothers were kept, usually against their will, as a source of forced labour to launder clothes.
Synonyms: Magdalene asylum
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA religious facility in which prostitutes and unmarried mothers were kept, usually against their will, as a source of forced labour to launder clothes.
Origin
Named after Mary Magdalene, traditionally associated with prostitution and a patron saint of penitent sinners.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
Magdalene laundry. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdalene%20laundry
“Magdalene laundry.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdalene%20laundry. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Magdalene laundry,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Magdalene%20laundry.
Source: Magdalene laundry on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.