prostitute

See also: prostitutė and prostitutę

English

A prostitute in Tijuana, Mexico.

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”).

    Pronunciation

    Adjective

    prostitute (comparative more prostitute, superlative most prostitute)

    1. (obsolete) Debased, corrupt; seeking personal gain by dishonourable means. [16th–19th c.]
    2. Taking part in promiscuous sexual activity, licentious; (later, chiefly as attributive use of noun) that is a prostitute. [from 16th c.]
      • 2008, Niki Adams, Lisa Longstaff, The Guardian, letters, 23 February:
        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.
    3. (obsolete) Exposed, subjected (to something shameful). [16th–18th c.]

    Noun

    prostitute (plural prostitutes)

    1. Any person (especially a woman) who has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity for payment, especially as a means of livelihood. [from 18th c.]
      Synonyms: sex worker; see also Thesaurus:prostitute
      Hyponyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute
    2. (Should we delete(+) this sense?) A woman who has sexual intercourse or engages in other sexual activity for payment, especially as a means of livelihood. [from 17th c.]
      • 2012, Kelly Olson, Dress and the Roman Woman: Self-Presentation and Society, page 50:
        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), […]
    3. A person who does, or offers to do, a demeaning or dishonourable activity for money or personal gain; someone who acts in a dishonourable way for personal advantage. [from 17th c.]
      Synonym: sellout
      • 2013, Unknown, “Gang Clash resulting in the stabbing of one person”, in Crimewatch (Singaporean TV series)‎[1], season 27, episode 3, spoken by Kai Wen and Vicky (Jernelle Oh and Shanice Koh):
        Kai Wen: Why not? You're nothing but a prostitute. / Vicky: How dare you call me a prostitute!
      • 2019 May 18, Jack Shepherd, quoting Bobby Gillespie, “Primal Scream frontman calls Madonna a 'total prostitute' for performing at Eurovision in Israel”, in The Independent‎[2], London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 April 2024:
        Madonna would do anything for money, you know, she's a total prostitute. And I've got nothing against prostitutes.

    Usage notes

    • Some speakers consider prostitutes (sex workers) to be female by default, and thus use male prostitute to refer to a male performing the same job.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    Verb

    prostitute (third-person singular simple present prostitutes, present participle prostituting, simple past and past participle prostituted)

    1. (transitive, reflexive) To offer (oneself or someone else) for sexual activity in exchange for money. [from 16th c.]
    2. (transitive, derogatory) To sacrifice (oneself, one's talents etc.) in return for profit or other advantage; to exploit for base purposes.
      • 1740, John Dyer, “The Ruins of Rome. A Poem.”, in Poems. [...] Viz. I. Grongar Hill. II. The Ruins of Rome. III. The Fleece, in Four Books, London: Printed by John Hughs, for Messrs. R[obert] and J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1759, →OCLC, pages 42–43:
        [T]heſe, their rights / In the vile ſtreets they proſtitute to ſale; / Their ancient rights, their dignities, their laws, / Their native glorious freedom.

    Synonyms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    Afrikaans

    Noun

    prostitute

    1. plural of prostituut

    Italian

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /pros.tiˈtu.te/
    • Rhymes: -ute
    • Hyphenation: pro‧sti‧tù‧te

    Noun

    prostitute f

    1. plural of prostituta

    Latin

    Pronunciation

    Participle

    prōstitūte

    1. vocative masculine singular of prōstitūtus
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