quean

Meaning

1. (archaic) A woman, now especially an impudent or disreputable woman; a prostitute.
2. (Scotland) A young woman, a girl; a daughter.

Synonyms

call girl

courtesan

prostitute

strumpet

trollop

harlot

drab

queen

👸

jade

Translations

παλιογυναίκα

genç kız

orospu

sürtük kadın

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kwiːn/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: quene

Inherited from Old English: cwene

Cognate with Dutch: kween

Cognate with Low German: quene

Cognate with German: Kone

Cognate with Swedish: kvinna

Cognate with Icelandic: kona

Cognate with Gothic: 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐍉

In summary

From Middle English quene (“young, robust woman”), from Old English cwene (“woman, female serf”), from Proto-West Germanic *kwenā, from Proto-Germanic *kwenǭ (“woman”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷḗn (“woman”). Doublet of gyne and queen.
Cognate with Dutch kween (“a barren woman, a barren cow”), Low German quene (“barren cow, heifer”), German Kone (“wife”), Swedish kvinna (“woman”), Icelandic kona (“woman”), Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌽𐍉 (qinō, “woman”), 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃 (qēns, “wife”).