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
- To offer for sexual activity in exchange for...
Ancestry of “prostitute”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | prostituée | prostitute |
| 2 | Latin | prōstitutus | prostituted |
| 3 | Latin | prōstituō | to set up in public |
| 4 | Latin | statuo | I set up, station; I establish, determine, fix; I... |
| 5 | Latin | stātus | fixed, set, having been set |
| 6 | Latin | stō | to stand |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | staēō | stand |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | sth₂éh₁yeti | to stand |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |