lupanar

noun

lu·​pa·​nar lü-ˈpā-nər  -ˈpä- 

plural lupanars or lupanaria ˌlü-pə-ˈner-ē-ə 

dated

: brothel

Writing in 1830, three years after the first Pompeiian lupanar had been unearthed, Charles Bonucci laconically summed up its aura: "The neighboring chamber was devoted to licentious scenes; its paintings indicate this only too clearly."

—Walter Kendrick

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from lupa sex worker, literally, she-wolf, feminine of lupus

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above