harlots
Women for hire
Harlots is the plural of harlot, an old-fashioned or literary word for a prostitute or promiscuous woman.
The term appears frequently in biblical translations and period literature: harlots and tax collectors, a den of harlots.
Modern use is typically historical, theatrical, or deliberately archaic for effect.
Ancient Mesopotamian capital
- scarlet womanPromiscuous woman, judgmentally labeled
- whoreSex worker
- fornicationIntercourse between unmarried persons
- adulteryMarried person's sexual betrayal
sinners · repentance · Mary Magdalene · prodigal · abomination · wickedness · judgment · redemption
Commercial sex establishment
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- bordelloCommercial sex establishment
- red-light districtZone of sex commerce
- madamFormal address for women
bawdy house · streetwalker · procurer · soliciting · vice · tavern wench · camp follower · demi-monde
Historical fiction with ornate attire
- period pieceWork set in past era
- bodiceFitted upper garment
- corsetBoned waist-shaping undergarment
- rougeCosmetic cheek tint
powder · fan · petticoat · wig · tavern · bawdy · ribald · wenches
- DickensSurname of Victorian novelist
- NancyWoman's name, French city
- tragic figurePerson undone by fate
- seductionEnticing someone romantically
Defoe · Zola · ruin · virtue · disgrace · redemption arc · morality tale · Victorian novel
Babylon
Ancient Mesopotamian capital
- scarlet womanPromiscuous woman, judgmentally labeled
- whoreSex worker
- fornicationIntercourse between unmarried persons
adultery · sinners · repentance · Mary Magdalene · prodigal · abomination · wickedness · judgment · redemption · fallen
brothel
Commercial sex establishment
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- bordelloCommercial sex establishment
- red-light districtZone of sex commerce
madam · bawdy house · streetwalker · procurer · soliciting · vice · tavern wench · camp follower · demi-monde · kept woman
costume drama
Historical fiction with ornate attire
- period pieceWork set in past era
- bodiceFitted upper garment
- corsetBoned waist-shaping undergarment
rouge · powder · fan · petticoat · wig · tavern · bawdy · ribald · wenches · rakes
Fantine
- DickensSurname of Victorian novelist
- NancyWoman's name, French city
- tragic figurePerson undone by fate
Defoe · Zola · seduction · ruin · virtue · disgrace · redemption arc · morality tale · Victorian novel · social commentary
- Fictional CourtesansFantine, Camille, Nancy, courtesans, fallen women
harlotsvirgins
Sexually uninitiated people
maidens · vestal virgins · innocents · celibates · nuns
harlotswives
Married female partners
brides · spouses · married women · betrothed · matrons
harlotsladies
Women, respectfully addressed
gentlewomen · noblewomen · matrons · matriarchs · wives