prostitute
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English
Etymology
From Latin prōstitutus, past participle of prōstituō, from pro- (“for, before”) + statuō (“to set up, to erect”).
Pronunciation
Noun
prostitute (plural prostitutes)
- A woman, or other person, who performs sexual activity for payment.
- A woman, or other person, who is perceived as engaging in sexual activity with many people.
- A person who does, or offers to do, an activity for money, despite personal dislike or dishonour.
Usage notes
- The noun prostitute, in its sexual senses, does not necessarily refer to a woman; nonetheless, it primarily refers to women. Therefore, when the referent is a man, this is frequently made explicit by using the adjective male, even in contexts where the referent's sex is already clear. For example, the phrasing "he became a prostitute" is quite correct, but the phrasing "he became a male prostitute" is just as common, despite its seeming redundancy. However, male prostitute occurs only in the sexual senses, especially the central literal sense of "one who performs sexual activity for payment"; in non-sexual senses, prostitute is gender-neutral.
Synonyms
- (person who performs sexual activity for payment): See also Wikisaurus:prostitute
- (person perceived as engaging in sexual activity): See also Wikisaurus:promiscuous woman, Wikisaurus:promiscuous man
- (person who does an activity for money): sell out
Translations
a person having sex for profit
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Verb
prostitute (third-person singular simple present prostitutes, present participle prostituting, simple past and past participle prostituted)
- (transitive, usually reflexively) To perform sexual activity for money
- (transitive) To make another person, or organisation, prostitute themselves.
- Bible, Leviticus xix. 29
- Do not prostitute thy daughter.
- Bible, Leviticus xix. 29
- (transitive, derogatory) To use one's talents in return for money or fame
- (figuratively) To exploit for base purposes; to whore.
- Yet again a commercial firm had prostituted a traditional song by setting an advertising jingle to its tune.
Related terms
Translations
To perform sexual activity for money
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To make another person, or organisation, prostitute themselves
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Italian
Noun
prostitute f
- Plural form of prostituta
Latin
Participle
prōstitute
- vocative masculine singular of prōstitutus
