house of tolerance

noun

A licensed brothel.

OriginFrench maison de tolérance →
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Meanings

nounhouse of tolerance (plural houses of tolerance)

plural houses of tolerance

  1. datedA licensed brothel.

    It is like an older Paris, when the houses of tolerance put on sex shows.

    1969, Allen V. Ross, Vice in Bombay, London: Tallis Press, page 160

Origin

  1. Frenchmaison de tolérance
  2. Englishhouse of tolerance

Calque of French maison de tolérance.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

house of tolerance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20tolerance

MLA

“house of tolerance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20tolerance. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “house of tolerance,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/house%20of%20tolerance.

Source: house of tolerance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.