prostitute
/ˈpɹɑstɪˌtu(ː)t/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.58 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Taking part in promiscuous sexual activity, licentious; (later, chiefly as attributive use of noun) that is a prostitute.
noun
Any person (especially a woman) who has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity for payment, especially as a means of livelihood.
noun
A woman who has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity for payment, especially as a means of livelihood.
Example Sentences
- "[H]e speaks a languages that merits not reply, and which can only excite contempt for his prostitute principles, or pity for his ignorance."
- "They rightly say that attacks against prostitute women are common and that it's only when five are murdered in one place that it starts to provoke debate."
- "[A]nd novv at length all men of all Nations, not only Philoſophers, but even the vulgar, have, and doe ſtill deale vvith this [the subject of the book] as a matter of eaſe, expoſed and proſtitute to every Mother-vvit, and to be attained vvithout any great care or ſtudy, […]"
- "Unfortunately, there is to my knowledge no visual evidence for the dress of the Roman prostitute, but the literary sources present us with a range of prostitute clothing (from rich accoutrements all the way down to nothing), […]"
- "Kai Wen: Why not? You're nothing but a prostitute. / Vicky: How dare you call me a prostitute!"
- "Madonna would do anything for money, you know, she's a total prostitute. And I've got nothing against prostitutes."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *per-der.? Proto-Indo-European *pér Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *pró Proto-Indo-European *pro- Proto-Italic *pro- Latin prō- Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Indo-European *stéh₂-tu-s ~ *sth₂-téw-s Proto-Italic *status Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Italic *statujō Proto-Italic *statuō Latin statuō Latin prōstituō Latin prōstitūtusder. English prostitute From Latin prōstitūtus, past participle of prōstituō, from prō̆ (“for, before”) + statuō (“to set up, to erect”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *per-, prōstitūtus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpɹɑstɪˌtu(ː)t/
- British English: /ˈpɹɒstɪˌtjuːt/
Usage
Inflected Forms
more prostitute (comparative)
most prostitute (superlative)
prostitutes (plural)
prostitutes (present, singular)
prostituting (participle, present)
prostituted (participle, past)
prostituted (past)