hetaera

See also: hetæra

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἑταίρᾱ (hetaírā), feminine of ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɪˈtɪəɹə/
  • IPA(key): /hɪˈtaɪɹə/

Noun

hetaera (plural hetaerae or hetaeras)

  1. (historical, Ancient Greece) A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.
    Coordinate term: courtesan
    • 1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:
      But of course our friend is only a shallow twentieth-century reproduction of the great hetairae of the past, the type to which she belongs without knowing it, Lais, Charis and the rest...
  2. A mistress.
    • 1971, Gottfried Benn, E. B. Ashton, Primal vision: selected writings:
      Woman is dethroned as the primary and supreme sex, debased into inseminable hetaera.
    • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers:
      Christ appeared, only to reveal himself as the naked god Pan. Ballet of hetaerae and houris, choreography by Italo Castaldi.

Derived terms

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Further reading

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