Whore
When does the OED
citation first record the appearance of the word in printed text?
1050 - 1100
What type of text did
it first appear in?
a1100 Aldhelm
Glossesi. 2940 in A. S. Napier Old Eng. Glosses (1900) 79/2 Prostituta pellax, i. meretrix quæ prostat,
i. mendax, leas fyrnhicge, hore. It first appeared in a very old glossary.
Where does the word
come from?
Germany
Has the word always
been ‘gender’ specific?
No, when it was used in the Germanic form it was spelt
‘horaz’ for men and ‘horon’ for women
Has the primary
meaning of the word changed over time?
The word has only changed in orthographic characteristics
but maintained the same semantic characteristics. It has always been on a high
level of pejoration, however it has now become more general having only been
used in the past for a prostitute. These changes became more prominent in 1275.
Has the spelling of
the word changed at all?
Yes. It has changed multiple times through the cultural
influences.
Does the word exist
in more than one word class?
It can be used as a verb ‘whoring’
It can be used as a proper noun ‘whore’
Does the dictionary
definition match your understanding of the word?
Yes.
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