Meanings
plural strumpets
- A female prostitute.
Em[ilia]. Fie, fie vpon thee ſtrumpet. / Bian[ca]. I am no ſtrumpet, but of life as honeſt, / As you, that thus abuſe me. / Em[ilia]. As I: fough, fie vpon thee.
c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. […] (First Quarto), London: […] N[icholas] O[kes] for Thomas Walkley, […], published 1622, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i], pages 88–89 - A woman who is promiscuous.
- A female adulterer.
- A mistress.
- derogatoryA trollop; a whore.
He cals her on a ſudden, all to naught; ſhe is a ſtrumpet, a light huswife, a bitch, an arrant whore.
1638, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Symptomes of Iealousie, Fear, Sorrow, Suspition, Strange Actions, Gestures, Outrages, Locking Up, Oathes, Trials, Lawes, &c.”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy. […], 5th edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [Robert Young, Miles Flesher, and Leonard Lichfield and William Turner] for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, partition 3, section 3, member 2, subsection 1, page 6102 more examples
We have legalized the strumpet and are guarding her retreat; Greed is seeking out commercial souls before his judgement seat; O, be swift, ye clods, to answer him! be jubilant my feet! Our god is marching on!
1900, Mark Twain, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, UpdatedHowever, terrible as it may seem to the tall maiden sisters of J.P.'s in Queen Anne houses with walled vegetable gardens, this courtesan, strumpet, harlot, whore, punk, fille de joie, street-walker, this trollop, this trull, this baggage, this hussy, this drab, skit, rig, quean, mopsy, demirep, demimondaine, this wanton, this fornicatress, this doxy, this concubine, this frail sister, this poor Queenie--did actually solicit me, did actually say 'coming home to-night, dearie' and my soul was not blasted enough to call a policeman.
1936, Anthony Bertram, Like the Phoenix
present singular third person strumpets · participle present strumpeting · participle past strumpeted · past strumpeted
- obsoletetransitiveTo debauch.
My blood is mingled with the crime of lust; / For if we two be one, and thou play false, / I do digest the poison of thy flesh, / Being strumpeted by thy contagion.
c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], line 153 - obsoletetransitiveTo dishonour with the reputation of being a strumpet; to belie; to slander.
That proud man, that vvas / Deny'd the honour of your bed, yet durſt / VVith his untrue reports, ſtrumpet your fame, / Compell'd by mee, hath given himſelfe the lye, / And in his ovvne blood vvrote it, […]
c. 1621–1623 (date written), Philip Massinger, The Maid of Honour. […], London: […] I[ohn] B[eale] for Robert Allot, […], published 1632, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, signature G, verso
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna woman adulterer
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinstuprum“violation”
- Middle Dutchstrompen“to stalk”
- Middle Englishstrumpet
- Englishstrumpet
From Middle English strumpet, strompet, strumpett. Further origin uncertain; possibly from Middle Dutch strompen (“to stalk”) or strompe (“stocking”); or Late Latin stuprum (“violation”) or stuprare (“to violate”).
More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κασαλβάς
- κασαλβάς (kasalbás)A prostitute
Bulgarian проститу́тка
- проститу́тка (prostitútka)A prostitute
Chinese Mandarin 婊子, 妓女
- 婊子 (biǎozi)A prostitute
- 妓女 (biǎozi)A prostitute
Czech kurva
- kurvaA prostitute
Danish skøge, ludder
- skøgeA prostitute
- ludderA prostitute
- horeA prostitute
Dutch hoer, lichtekooi
- hoerA prostitute
- lichtekooiA prostitute
Finnish portto
- porttoA prostitute
French pute, putain
- puteA prostitute
- putainA prostitute
- roulureA prostitute
German Hure, Dirne
- HureA prostitute
- DirneA prostitute
Irish striapach
- striapachA prostitute
Italian puttana, sgualdrina
- puttanaA prostitute
- sgualdrinaA prostitute
- battonaA prostitute
- squilloA prostitute
- peripateticaA prostitute
Polish cichodajka, ladacznica
- cichodajkaA prostitute
- ladacznicaA prostitute
Portuguese puta, meretriz
- putaA prostitute
- meretrizA prostitute
Russian проститу́тка, потаску́ха
- проститу́тка (prostitútka)A prostitute
- потаску́ха (potaskúxa)A prostitute
Scottish Gaelic strìopach, siùrsach
- strìopachA prostitute
- siùrsachA prostitute
Spanish puta, golfa
- putaA prostitute
- golfaA prostitute
- rameraA prostitute
Swedish hora, slinka
- horaA prostitute
- slinkaA prostitute
Thai โสเภณี
- โสเภณี (sǒo-pee-nii)A prostitute
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with strumpet
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
strumpet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/strumpet
“strumpet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/strumpet. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “strumpet,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/strumpet.
Source: strumpet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.