prostitution
American
[pros-ti-too-shuhn, -tyoo-]
/ ˌprɒs tɪˈtu ʃən, -ˈtyu- /
noun
-
the act or practice of engaging in sex acts, as sexual intercourse, for money.
-
base or unworthy use, as of talent or ability.
Other Word Forms
- antiprostitution adjective
Etymology
Origin of prostitution
First recorded in 1545–55; from Late Latin prōstitūtiōn- (stem of prōstitūtiō ); prostitute, -ion
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
