Meanings
plural auletrides
- historicalA courtesan or prostitute in Ancient Greece who played the flute to provide entertainment.
To equate auletrides with prostitutes tout court is an overgeneralisation, which in turn impacts on the reading of the imagery.
2002, Sian Lewis, The Athenian Woman, page 972 more examples
The auletris, or flute-player, provided musical accompaniment at the Greek symposium, a drinking party enjoyed by aristocratic males.
2006, Melissa Hope Ditmore (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of Prostitution and Sex Work, volume 1, page 51One of Theophrastus' characters speaks of instructing a servant to bring an auletris from the brothel [...] "that all of us might be entertained by her playing and be made glad".
2011, Laura K. McClure, Courtesans at Table, page 21
Origin
- Ancient Greekαὐλητρίς
- Englishauletris
From Ancient Greek αὐλητρίς (aulētrís).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
French aulétride
- aulétridecourtesan flute-player
Italian auletride
- auletridecourtesan flute-player
Cite this entry
auletris. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/auletris
“auletris.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/auletris. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “auletris,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/auletris.
Source: auletris on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.