Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
A class of women maintained by wealthy protectors; female courtesans or prostitutes as a group.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: chiefly historical (19th-century France)
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A group having little respect or reputation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
A member of such a class or group of persons.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: broadly
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
a class of woman not considered respectable because of indiscreet or promiscuous behavior
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: class, stratum, social class, socio-economic class
History
Borrowed from French demi-monde (literally “half-world”), from demi (“half”) + monde (“world; people”); possibly coined by French author and playwright Alexandre Dumas fils as the title of a comedic play, Le Demi Monde (1855): see the quotation from 1864.
Across languages
10 source translations are retained for this English entry.
