harlotry

har·lot  (härlt)

n.

A woman prostitute.

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[Middle English, vagabond, rogue, lecher, harlot, from Old French arlot, herlot, vagabond.]

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harlot·ry (-l-tr) n.

Word History: The word harlot nowadays refers to a particular kind of woman, but interestingly it used to refer to a particular kind of man. The word is first recorded in English in a work written around the beginning of the 13th century, meaning "a man of no fixed occupation, vagabond, beggar," and soon afterwards meant "male lecher." Already in the 14th century it appears as a deprecatory word for a woman, though exactly how this meaning developed from the male sense is not clear. For a time the word could also refer to a juggler or jester of either sex, but by the close of the 17th century its usage referring to males had disappeared.

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harlotry

the state or practice of being a harlot or prostitute.

See also: Sex

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

harlotry - offering sexual intercourse for pay prostitution, whoredom vice crime - a vice that is illegal