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red-light district (rĕdlīt′)

A neighborhood containing many brothels and often other businesses related to sexual gratification, such as sex shops and peepshows.

[Perhaps from the red lanterns or lights said to have been placed in the windows of American brothels in the 1800s.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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