kisaeng

plural kisaengs · alternative gisaeng

1. historicalA member of a traditional Korean caste of female entertainers, whose work often included prostitution.

   These raw emotions and unpolished behaviors are placed against the seductive, perfected armor of the kisaeng, whose skill as the ultimate purveyors of fantasy is belied by the almost caustic loneliness threading through their poems.

   2009 March 3, Claudia La Rocco, “Currents of Desire, With an Assist From the Audience”, in New York Times