Rose Cottage

proper noun

An isolation ward for treating venereal disease in sailors when ashore.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

proper noun
  1. slanggovernmentAn isolation ward for treating venereal disease in sailors when ashore.
  2. slangmedicineThe morgue or mortuary.

Origin

From a stereotypical name for a person's home with roses growing around it, but here ironically referring to the red colour of sores or bleeding.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Rose Cottage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rose%20Cottage

MLA

“Rose Cottage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rose%20Cottage. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Rose Cottage,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Rose%20Cottage.

Source: Rose Cottage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.