Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hetaera

/hɪˈtɪəɹə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: het-aera
IPA: /hɪˈtɪəɹə/

10

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.

noun

Example Sentences

"But of course our friend is only a shallow twentieth-century reproduction of the great hetairae of the past, the type to which she belongs without knowing it, Lais, Charis and the rest..."
"Woman is dethroned as the primary and supreme sex, debased into inseminable hetaera."
"Christ appeared, only to reveal himself as the naked god Pan. Ballet of hetaerae and houris, choreography by Italo Castaldi."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἑταίρᾱ (hetaírā), feminine of ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: ἑταίρᾱ

Inflected Forms

hetaerae (plural) hetaeras (plural) hetaira (alternative) hetæra (alternative)

Derived Forms

hetaeric

Frequently Paired Words

etaerio hetaerism hetaerist courtesan

Questions

How do you pronounce hetaera?: The recorded pronunciation is /hɪˈtɪəɹə/.
What does hetaera mean?: A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.
Where does hetaera come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce hetaera

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hetaera”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/hɪˈtɪəɹə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “hetaera”.
Repeat and practice — Say “hetaera” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.