Wiktionary

strumpet

English

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WOTD – 19 August 2015

Etymology

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From Middle English strumpet, strompet, strumpett. Further origin uncertain; possibly from Middle Dutch strompen (“to stalk”) or strompe (“stocking”); or Late Latin stuprum (“violation”) or stuprare (“to violate”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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strumpet (plural strumpets)

  1. A female prostitute.
  2. A woman who is very sexually active.
  3. A female adulterer.
  4. A mistress.
  5. (derogatory) A trollop; a whore.
    • 1638, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Symptomes of Iealousie, Fear, Sorrow, Suspition, Strange Actions, Gestures, Outrages, Locking Up, Oathes, Trials, Lawes, &c.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy. […], 5th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Robert Young, Miles Flesher, and Leonard Lichfield and William Turner] for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 3, member 2, subsection 1, page 610:
      He cals her on a ſudden, all to naught; ſhe is a ſtrumpet, a light huswife, a bitch, an arrant whore.
    • 1900, Mark Twain, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Updated:
      We have legalized the strumpet and are guarding her retreat; Greed is seeking out commercial souls before his judgement seat; O, be swift, ye clods, to answer him! be jubilant my feet! Our god is marching on!
    • 1936, Anthony Bertram, Like the Phoenix:
      However, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie--did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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strumpet (third-person singular simple present strumpets, present participle strumpeting, simple past and past participle strumpeted)

  1. (obsolete, transitive) To debauch.
  2. (obsolete, transitive) To dishonour with the reputation of being a strumpet; to belie; to slander.
    • c. 1621–1623 (date written), Philip Massinger, The Maid of Honour. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1632, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, signature G, verso:
      That proud man, that vvas / Deny'd the honour of your bed, yet durſt / VVith his untrue reports, ſtrumpet your fame, / Compell'd by mee, hath given himſelfe the lye, / And in his ovvne blood vvrote it, […]

Anagrams

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