whore

English Online Dictionary. What means whore‎? What does whore mean?

English

Alternative forms

• wh*re, wh@re (censored)
• whoore (obsolete)
• ho, hoe (slang, derogatory)

Etymology

From Middle English hore, from Old English hōre, from Proto-Germanic *hōrǭ, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ros (“loved”), from *keh₂- (“to wish; desire”). Cognate with Dutch hoer, German Hure, Old Norse hóra as well as Sanskrit चारु (cā́ru, “dear”), Latin cārus (“dear, expensive”), and Irish cara (“friend”).

The unetymological spelling with wh- superficially denotes a formerly standard pronunciation with an excrescent /w/ (such as in whole), but such a form is hardly found in either commentators on Early Modern English pronunciations or records of traditional dialects (which both explicitly mention its rarity or absence), therefore leaving the spelling somewhat inexplicable. However, this may be because such a excrescent /w/ was absorbed by a following /uː/ (as in words with etymological /w/ such as whom, two) after it became established in the spelling but before our earliest orthoepic records.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: hô, IPA^(key): /hɔː/
• (General American) enPR: hôr, IPA^(key): /hɔɚ/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) enPR: hōr, IPA^(key): /ho(ː)ɚ/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /hoə/
• (non-rhotic, dough-door merger, African-American Vernacular) IPA^(key): /hoʊ/
• (nonstandard but traditional, several locations) enPR: ho͝or, IPA^(key): /hʊɚ/, /hʊə/
• (Early Modern) enPR: ho͞or, hōr, IPA^(key): /huːr/, /hɔːr/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ), -ʊə(ɹ)
• Homophones: hoar; hoe (non-rhotic, dough–door merger)
• Hyphenation: whore

Noun

whore (plural whores)(vulgar, derogatory)

1. Synonym of prostitute: a person (especially a woman) who offers sexual services for payment.
   • 1969, Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”, Bridge over Troubled Water, Columbia Records:

     I come looking for a job
     But I get no offers
     Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue

2. A person who is sexually promiscuous; a slut.
3. A person who is unscrupulous, especially one who compromises their principles for gain.
4. A person who will violate behavioral standards to achieve something desired.
5. A contemptible person.

Synonyms

• (prostitute): See also Thesaurus:prostitute
• (promiscuous woman): See also Thesaurus:promiscuous woman

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

whore (third-person singular simple present whores, present participle whoring, simple past and past participle whored)

1. (intransitive, vulgar) To prostitute oneself.
2. (intransitive, vulgar) To engage the services of a prostitute.
3. (transitive, vulgar) To pimp; to pander.
4. (transitive, vulgar) To promote shamelessly.

5. (intransitive, vulgar) To pursue false gods.
6. (intransitive, vulgar) To pursue false goals.
7. (transitive, slang, video games, vulgar, derogatory) To overuse something.

Synonyms

• (to prostitute oneself): sell one's body, turn tricks; see also Thesaurus:prostitute oneself
• (to pimp): pander, turn out; see also Thesaurus:pimp out
• (to promote shamelessly): tout, pimp

Derived terms

Translations

References

Anagrams

• Hower, how're, hower, howre