bawd·ry \ˈbȯdrē, -ri\noun (-es) Etymology: Middle English bawderie, from bawde + -erie -ery 1.obsolete: the practice or business of a bawd 2.obsolete: illicit intercourse : unchastity < we must be married or we must live in bawdry — Shakespeare > 3.: offensively suggestive, coarse, or obscene language : bawdiness < smoking-room bawdry >