/ luːd; NAmE ; BrE also ljuːd/ adjective
referring to sex in a rude and offensive way
SYN obscene :
lewd behaviour / jokes / suggestions
► lewd·ly adverb
► lewd·ness noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English lǣwede , of unknown origin. The original sense was belonging to the laity (members of the church who are not clergy); in Middle English , belonging to the common people, vulgar , and later worthless, vile, evil , leading to the current sense.