Harlots

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to women engaging in sexual acts for money or trade; often used historically to describe prostitutes or promiscuous women
2. This word denotes individuals, typically female, who offer sexual services for compensation; it may also imply a lack of moral standards in relationships
3. Used to characterize women viewed derogatorily for their sexual behavior, commonly associated with prostitution or promiscuity in a societal context

Etymology: "Harlots" is the plural of "harlot," and the word's own history is murky. It came into Middle English from Old French "harlot," "herlot," or "arlot," meaning "vagabond" or "tramp," a sense that had nothing to do with sexual conduct. Where that French word came from is uncertain, but it may trace back to Germanic roots meaning either "army" or "man," with the connection to a vagabond or lowborn wanderer suggesting how a term for a fellow or a soldier could drift toward disrepute. The shift from "wanderer" to a woman of loose morals happened over time in English, as the word narrowed from a broad label for a rootless person of either sex to one applied chiefly to women who sold sex. An English word, "carlot," which shows a similar pattern, is sometimes compared with it, though the two are not closely tied in any way that can be confirmed.

Synonyms: prostitutes, courtesans, strumpets, hookers, call girls