whore
Meaning
A prostitute.
A person who is considered sexually promiscuous or unprincipled.
To work as a prostitute.
To use something or someone in an unprincipled way for personal gain.
Usage
The novel's protagonist was forced into becoming a whore to survive.
He was accused of whoring his artistic integrity for commercial success.
The polemicist used the term as an insult, calling his political opponents whores for corporate interests.
Etymology
The word 'whore' originates from the Proto-Germanic \hōrǭ, which is related to the Old Norse hóra and the Gothic hōrs, all meaning "adulterer" or "fornicator." This Germanic root is further traced back to the Proto-Indo-European \kā-, meaning "to like, desire," a semantic link that connects the concept of desire to the later, more specific and derogatory meaning. Over centuries, the term narrowed from a more general sense of sexual impropriety to its primary modern meaning of a prostitute, acquiring strong pejorative force. Its journey reflects a common linguistic pattern where a word for a basic human impulse evolves into a socially stigmatized label.
Analysis
This is a simplex word of Germanic origin. The modern English form is a direct descendant of the Old English word hōre.