scortum

Meaning

1. (declension-2, neuter) skin, hide
2. (declension-2, neuter) harlot, prostitute

Concepts

prostitute

harlot

whore

hooker

Synonyms

meretrix

lupa

prostibula

prostituta

nonaria

lupānāria

meretrīx

Translations

prostituée

prostituta

Dirne

prostituta

prostituee

hoer

Hure

puttana

prostituta

prostituta

Prostituierte

baldracca

πόρνη

fille de joie

Pronounced as (IPA)

[ˈskɔr.tũː]

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kr̥-tó-m (“that which is cut; a cutting”), from the root *(s)ker- (“to cut”), which has other derivatives meaning “skin” or “bark”. Compare Latin scrōtum, scrautum, scrūta. See also corium, Proto-Germanic *skeraną (whence English shear), Ancient Greek κείρω (keírō, “I cut off”), Albanian harr (“to cut, to mow”), Lithuanian ski̇̀rti (“separate”), Welsh ysgar (“separate”), Old Armenian քերեմ (kʻerem, “to scrape, scratch”). Piecewise doublet of curtum.
The prostitute sense may have arisen from the former skin, leather sense through scortum subigere (“beat leather; tan leather”), as an ancient metaphor for sexual intercourse. According to Festus, Scorta appellantur meretrices, quia ut pelliculae subiguntur, “Prostitutes are called ‘leathers’ because they are beaten/tanned like small skins.” Cf. Latin pellicula (“small skin; (in farce) whore”), Spanish pelleja (“skin, hide; whore”). Hammarström observes that skin removed from the animal is loose, flexible and lacks hold.
Compare typologically with cognate Russian шку́ра (škúra).