| 释义 |
pros·ti·tute
I. \ˈprästəˌtüt, -ə.ˌtyüt, usu -üd.+V\ verb
(-ed/-ing/-s)
Etymology: Latin prostitutus, past participle of prostituere to expose publicly to prostitution, prostitute, from pro before + statuere to set, station — more at for, statute
transitive verb
1. : to offer indiscriminately for sexual intercourse especially for payment
< do not prostitute thy daughter, to cause her to be a whore — Lev 19:29 (Authorized Version) >
< prostitute herself >
2. : to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes or ends : debase
< to mix culture with personal charm or advertisement is to prostitute culture — Virginia Woolf >
< men who prostitute science in the name of profits — Harrison Brown >
intransitive verb
: to act as a prostitute : prostitute oneself
< while she was prostituting for him he married another woman — Washington Post >
II. adjective
Etymology: Latin prostitutus, past participle of prostituere
1. archaic : sexually promiscuous : licentious
2. : devoted to corrupt purposes or ends : prostituted
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Latin prostituta, from feminine of prostitutus, past participle of prostituere
1.
a. : a woman who engages in promiscuous sexual intercourse especially for payment : harlot, strumpet, whore
b. : a male who engages in homosexual practices for payment
c. : a member of a group of women or sometimes men dedicated to a god who practice prostitution in association with the temple rites of the cult
2. : a person who deliberately debases himself for money or other consideration; specifically : a creatively gifted person (as a writer or painter) who deliberately lowers his standards for financial gain
< turns literary prostitute and starts writing “poisoned pap” that sells well — Time > |