bathhouse

noun

Etymology: Inherited from Middle English bathhous, bathous, from Old English bæþhūs (“bathhouse”), equivalent to bath + house. Cognate with Dutch badhuis (“bathhouse”), German Badehaus (“bathhouse”), German Low German Baadhuus, Boodhuus (“bathhouse”), Danish badehus (“bathhouse”), Norwegian Bokmål badehus (“bathhouse”), Norwegian Nynorsk badehus (“bathhouse”), Swedish badhus (“bathhouse”).

1. A building with baths for communal use.

   “[…] a plethora of taverns, victuals, brew houses, hostelries, bathhouses, brothels, bearbaiting and bullbaiting arenas jostled for space with shops of stockfishmongers, garlicmongers, and bakemongers.”

   “The landslide hit Xiangning county in Shanxi province early Friday evening, provincial authorities said. Two residential buildings, home to a total of 14 households, and a public bathhouse collapsed under the weight of the falling earth.”

2. A building where swimmers can change clothes.
3. A business with bath-like facilities, which chiefly serves as a place for sexual encounters, especially among men.