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ponce

[pons]
noun British Slang.
  1. a pimp.
  2. a campily effeminate male.
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Origin of ponce

First recorded in 1870–75; of obscure origin

Ponce

[pawn-se]
noun
  1. a seaport in S Puerto Rico.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for ponce

ponce

noun
  1. a man given to ostentatious or effeminate display in manners, speech, dress, etc
  2. another word for pimp 1
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verb
  1. (intr; often foll by around or about) to act like a ponce
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Word Origin

C19: from Polari, from Spanish pu (n) to male prostitute or French pront prostitute

Ponce

noun
  1. a port in S Puerto Rico, on the Caribbean: the second largest town on the island; settled in the 16th century. Pop: 185 930 (2003 est)
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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

Word Origin and History for ponce

n.

slang term, chiefly British, 1872, originally "a pimp, a man supported by women" (pouncey in same sense is attested from 1861), of unknown origin, perhaps from French pensionnaire "boarder, lodger, person living without working." Meaning "male homosexual" first attested 1932 in Auden [OED]. Also as a verb. Related: Poncey.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper