different between harlot vs courtesan

English

Etymology

From Middle English harlot, from Old French harlot, herlot, arlot (“vagabond; tramp”), of obscure origin. Likely ultimately of Germanic origin, either from a derivation of *harjaz (“army; camp; warrior; military leader”) or from a diminutive of *karilaz (“man; fellow”). Compare English carlot.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??l?t/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?h??l?t/

Noun

harlot (plural harlots)

1. (derogatory, offensive, dated) A female prostitute.
   • 1980, Dave Murray, "Charlotte the Harlot", in Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden.

2. (derogatory, offensive) A female who is considered promiscuous.

   Synonyms: skeezer, slut, whore

3. (obsolete) A churl; a common man; a person, male or female, of low birth.

   • He was a gentil harlot and a kynde;

4. (obsolete) A person given to low conduct; a rogue; a cheat; a rascal.

   • "Ye, false harlot," quod the millere, "hast? A, false traitor! false clerk!" quod he, Tow shalt be deed, by Goddes dignitee!

Synonyms

• (female prostitute): see Thesaurus:prostitute
• (promiscuous woman): see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman
• (churl): see Thesaurus:rural dweller
• (person given to low conduct): see Thesaurus:villain

Translations

Verb

harlot (third-person singular simple present harlots, present participle harloting or harlotting, simple past and past participle harloted or harlotted)

1. To play the harlot; to practice lewdness.

Synonyms

• harlotize; see also Thesaurus:harlotize

Adjective

harlot (comparative more harlot, superlative most harlot)

1. (now uncommon) Wanton; lewd; low; base.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:obscene

Anagrams

• thoral

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French courtisane, from Italian cortigiana, feminine of cortigiano (“courtier”), from corte (“court”), itself from Latin cohors.

Pronunciation

• (UK, non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /k??t??zæn/, /?k??t?zæn/, /?k??t?z?n/
• (UK, rhotic) IPA^(key): /k??t??zæn/, /?k??t?zæn/, /?k??t?z?n/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k??t?z?n/, /?k??t?zæn/, /?ko?t?z?n/, /?ko?t?zæn/

Noun

courtesan (plural courtesans)

1. (archaic) A woman of a royal or noble court.
2. (dated) The mistress of a royal or noble.
3. A female prostitute, especially one with high-status or wealthy clients.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:prostitute

   • 2014, Frances Wilson, The Courtesan's Revenge, Faber & Faber (?ISBN), page 10:

     In the notes he wrote for Nana, his novel about a courtesan in Second Empire Paris, Zola imagined ‘a whole society hurling itself’ at her body, ‘a pack of hounds after a bitch, who is not even on heat and makes fun of the hounds following her’. This might also describe the life of Harriette Wilson, whose unguarded pursuit by the leaders of the British aristocracy, the army, the government and opposition made her the most desired, and then the most dangerous, woman in Regency London.

Translations

Further reading

• courtesan on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

References

Anagrams

• acentrous, ancestour, auncestor, courantes, ctenosaur, nectarous, outrances