hetaera en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /hɪˈtɪəɹə/
- /hɪˈtaɪɹə/
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἑταίρᾱ (hetaírā), feminine of ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”).
Meanings
-
(historical, qualifier:Ancient Greece) A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.
But of course our friend is only a shallow twentieth-century reproduction of the great hetairae of the past, the type to which she belongs without knowing it, Lais, Charis and the rest...
1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:
-
A mistress.
Christ appeared, only to reveal himself as the naked god Pan. Ballet of hetaerae and houris, choreography by Italo Castaldi.
1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers:Woman is dethroned as the primary and supreme sex, debased into inseminable hetaera.
1971, Gottfried Benn, E. B. Ashton, Primal vision: selected writings:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| hetaira | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hetæra | alternative | lexicographic | |
| hetaerae | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| hetaeras | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
Relateds
hetaerism · etaerio · hetaerist
Translations (18)
it etera (hired female companion) · cs hetéra (hired female companion) · pl hetera (hired female companion) · fr hétaïre (hired female companion) · fi hetaira (hired female companion) · es hetaira (hired female companion) · grc ἑταίρᾱ (hired female companion) · ru гете́ра (hired female companion) · pt hetera (hired female companion) · hu hetéra (hired female companion) · es hetera (hired female companion) · sv hetär (hired female companion) · eo hetajro (hired female companion) · pt hetaira (hired female companion) · da hetære (hired female companion) · de Hetäre (hired female companion) · el εταίρα (hired female companion) · ja ヘタイラ (hired female companion)
wikipedia: Phryne · wikipedia: Jean-Léon Gérôme · wikipedia: Ancient Greece