harlot

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈhɑːlət/ (UK); /ˈhɑɹlət/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English,^[2][3] from Old French herlot or arlot “vagabond, tramp”,^{[2][4][5][3][6]} a word of uncertain or unknown origin^[4][5][6] with relatives in Old Provençal, Old Spanish and Italian.^[5] Some suggest a Germanic origin meaning “camp follower”, with a first element hari “army”.^[5] The American Heritage Dictionary notes that the old story deriving it from Arlette, mother of William the Conqueror, is disproved by the word's history.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A vagabond, beggar or rogue (about 1200).^[2][4][5][7]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English and Old French the word usually referred to men,^[5] and Chaucer used it in both good and bad senses.^[5] It was applied to jesters, buffoons and jugglers (before 1340)^[7][5] and to a man of loose life,^[7][2] before it meant an unchaste woman or prostitute (1432–50).^[7][4][5] The 16th-century Bible translations, which used it in place of whore, reinforced this sense.^[5][7]

Timeline

• late 12th century – in surnames.^[5]
• about 1200 – a vagabond or rogue.^[2][4][5][7]
• before 1340 – a jester or buffoon.^[7]
• 1432–50 – a prostitute.^[7][4]
• 16th century – frequent in English Bible versions.^[7][5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A prostitute.
2. (obsolete) A vagabond or rogue.

Word family

• harlotry

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press