958: harlot Jul 24, 2017

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Many of the words and swears that we use now connoting sex tend to relate more to women than men. This happened in Old English to possibly even greater an extent, as many word that related to promiscuity and seduction as well tended to be feminine grammatically, though the significance of this is debatable. The word 'harlot' today is used as an insult or a somewhat dated synonym to 'prostitute', almost always if not entirely directed at women. This wasn't always the case however, and in Middle English the word denoted a vagabond or lecher, and would be used to refer to a man or a woman. In fact, the word originates from the Old French 'harlot' meaning a '(poor) young man' specifically.

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