Dictionary.com

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.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of demimonde

1850–55; <French, equivalent to demi-demi- + monde world (<Latin mundus)

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. 2020

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 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012