demimonde
[ dem-ee-mond; French duh-mee-mawnd ]
/ ˈdɛm iˌmɒnd; French də miˈmɔ̃d /
noun
(especially during the last half of the 19th century) a class of women who have lost their standing in respectable society because of indiscreet behavior or sexual promiscuity.
a demimondaine.
prostitutes or courtesans in general.
a group whose activities are ethically or legally questionable: a demimonde of investigative journalists writing for the sensationalist tabloids.
a group characterized by lack of success or status: the literary demimonde.
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Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of demimonde
Words nearby demimonde
demilitarized zone, de Mille, demilune, demimetope, demimondaine, demimonde, demineralization, demineralize, demineralizer, de minimis, de-mining
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for demimonde
British Dictionary definitions for demimonde
demimonde
/ (ˌdɛmɪˈmɒnd, French dəmimɔ̃d) /
noun
(esp in the 19th century) those women considered to be outside respectable society, esp on account of sexual promiscuity
any social group considered to be not wholly respectable
Word Origin for demimonde
C19: from French, literally: half-world
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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