BAWD, a person who keeps a place of prostitution, or makes a trade of debauching women, and procuring or conducting criminal intrigues. Some think the word is derived from the old French baude, bold or impudent; though Versteeg has a conjecture which would carry it higher, viz. from bathe anciently written bade. In which sense bawd originally imported no more than bath-holder, as if bagnios had anciently been the chief scenes of such prostitution.
The Romans had their male as well as female bawds; the former denominated lenones and proagogi, among us panders; the latter, lene. Donatus, speaking of the habits of the ancient characters in comedy, says, Leno palis varii coloris utitur. But the ancient lenones, it is to be observed, furnished boys as well as girls for venereal service. Another sort of these merchants or dealers in human flesh, were called mangones, by the Greeks αἰδραχάπλοι, who sold eunuchs, slaves, &c. By a law of Constantine, bawds were to be punished by pouring melted lead down their throats. See the next article.