Demimondes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group or class of people living a fashionable but often disreputable lifestyle, typically characterized by financial instability
2. Referring to a set of individuals who exist on the fringes of society, often engaging in bohemian or avant-garde activities
3. Describing a social circle that operates outside of conventional norms, often associated with obscurity and elitism

Etymology: The plural "demimondes" is simply the form of "demimonde," a French compound that literally means "half-world." The first element, "demi," means "half," and "monde" means "world," in the sense of society or the people who make it up. Together they named a social fringe lying just beyond respectable company. The term is most closely tied to Alexandre Dumas fils, the French author and playwright, who used it as the title of a comedy, "Le Demi Monde," first staged in 1855. Whether he coined the phrase or simply popularised it is uncertain, but the play gave the expression its lasting currency. Its subject was women who lived on the edges of high society, supported by wealthy men without being accepted by its upper ranks.