Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BAWD, n. [I know not the origin of this word; but in French, baudir is a term in hunting, signifying to excite or encourage dogs to the chase; formed, according to Lunier, from the Low Latin, baldire, or exbaldire, to enliven, to quicken; which, from the Italian baldo, baldanza, appears to be from the root of Eng. bold, the primary sense of which is, to project, to push or rush forward. In W. pud is what tends to allure. But one author quotes Hesychius, as giving Gr. βαδας, a procurer or procuress.]

A procurer or procuress. A person who keeps a house of prostitution, and conducts criminal intrigues. [Usually applied to females.]