scortum

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kr̥-tó-m (“that which is cut; a cutting”), from the root *(s)ker- (“to cut”), which has other derivatives meaning “skin” or “bark”. Compare Latin scrōtum, scrautum, scrūta. See also corium, Proto-Germanic *skeraną (whence English shear), Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “I cut off”), Albanian harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”), Old Armenian քերեմ (kʻerem, “to scrape, scratch”). Piecewise doublet of curtum.

The prostitute sense may have arisen from the former skin, leather sense through scortum subigere (“beat leather; tan leather”), as an ancient metaphor for sexual intercourse. According to Festus, Scorta appellantur meretrices, quia ut pelliculae subiguntur, “Prostitutes are called ‘leathers’ because they are beaten/tanned like small skins.” Cf. Latin pellicula (“small skin; (in farce) whore”), Spanish pelleja (“skin, hide; whore”). Hammarström observes that skin removed from the animal is loose, flexible and lacks hold.

Compare typologically with cognate Russian шку́ра (škúra).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈskɔr.tũː]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈskɔr.t̪um]

Noun

scortum n (genitive scortī); second declension

skin, hide
harlot, prostitute
Nam ut cuiusque studium ex aetāte flāgrābat, aliīs scorta praebēre, aliīs canēs atque equōs mercārī.
As the passions of each, according to his years, appeared excited, he furnished mistresses to some, bought horses and dogs for others.

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	scortum	scorta
genitive	scortī	scortōrum
dative	scortō	scortīs
accusative	scortum	scorta
ablative	scortō	scortīs
vocative	scortum	scorta

Synonyms

(prostitute): apodix f (Mediaeval), meretrīx f (slang)

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

→ Italian: scorto

References

“scortum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“scortum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
"scortum", in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
“scortum”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
James N. Adams (1983), Words for 'prostitute' in Latin, Rheinisches Museum für Philologie, Neue Folge, 126(3/4), pp. 321-358.
M. Hammarström (1925), De uocibus scorti, scrattae, strittabillae, Éranos 23, pp. 104 ff.

Old English

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈʃor.tum/, [ˈʃorˠ.tum]

Adjective

sċortum

inflection of sċort:
1. strong dative masculine/neuter singular
2. strong/weak dative/instrumental masculine/feminine/neuter plural