Cyprian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Of or belonging to Cyprus, the Mediterranean island, or its inhabitants ; a woman of loose morals or a prostitute
2. Pertaining to the island of Cyprus or its residents ; a person, typically female, engaged in promiscuous or immoral behavior
3. Associated with Cyprus or the people living there ; a woman of ill repute or one who engages in sexual misconduct

Etymology: The word "cyprian" names a person from Cyprus, the eastern Mediterranean island, and it reached English by way of Latin "Cyprianus," which carried the same sense. Its base is "Cyprus," with the suffix "-ian" attached, the familiar ending that turns place names into words for their inhabitants or associations. The more colourful story lies in the other sense. Cyprus was the island where the Greek goddess Aphrodite was especially worshipped, so a "Cyprian" came to mean a follower of her cult and, by extension, a woman of loose morals, a sense that cut against the island's religious associations. The word therefore moved from a neutral geographical label to a slang term for a prostitute, with the goddess of love standing behind the shift.

Synonyms: promiscuous

Antonyms: chaste