Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prostitute” come from?

Prostitute derives from Latin prostitutus, past participle of prostituo meaning to expose publicly, from statiō and the prefix pro-, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to stand and to lead forward.

prostitute (English): To offer for sexual activity in exchange for...

Definitions

  1. To offer for sexual activity in exchange for...

Ancestry of “prostitute”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchprostituéeprostitute
2Latinprōstitutus—
3Latinprōstituō—
4LatinstatuoI set up, station; I establish, determine, fix; I...
5Latinstātus—
6Latinstō—
7Proto-Italicstaēōstand
8Proto-Indo-Europeansth₂éh₁yeti—
9Proto-Indo-European*steh₂-—

Words derived from “prostitute”

  • prostitutor
  • prossy
  • nonprostitute
  • prosty
  • antiprostitute
  • prostitutable
  • prosti
Every word from Proto-Indo-European *steh₂- →