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hierodule

American  
[hahy-er-uh-dool, -dyool, hahy-ruh-] / ˈhaɪ ər əˌdul, -ˌdyul, ˈhaɪ rə- /

noun

  1. a slave in service in an ancient Greek temple.

hierodule British  
/ ˈhaɪərəˌdjuːl /

noun

  1. (in ancient Greece) a temple slave, esp a sacral prostitute

"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

Other Word Forms

  • hierodulic adjective

Etymology

Origin of hierodule

1825–35; < Greek hieródoulos temple slave, equivalent to hieró ( n ) temple + doúlos slave

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And Ms. Gordon is a showy enough linguist to make gloriously apt use of the words hierodule, unmiscible and catawamptious.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2010

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.