Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
demimonde - 3 dictionary results

dem⋅i⋅monde

  [dem-ee-mond; Fr. duh-mee-mawnd]
Use demimonde in a Sentence
–noun
1. (esp. during the last half of the 19th century) a class of women who have lost their standing in respectable society because of indiscreet behavior or sexual promiscuity.
2. a demimondaine.
3. prostitutes or courtesans in general.
4. a group whose activities are ethically or legally questionable: a demimonde of investigative journalists writing for the sensationalist tabloids.
5. a group characterized by lack of success or status: the literary demimonde.
Origin:
1850–55; < F, equiv. to demi- demi- + monde world (< L mundus)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To demimonde
dem·i·monde   (děm'ē-mŏnd')   
n.  
    1. A class of women kept by wealthy lovers or protectors.
    2. Women prostitutes considered as a group.
  2. A group whose respectability is dubious or whose success is marginal: the literary demimonde of ghost writers, hacks, and publicists. Also called demiworld.

[French demi-monde : demi-, demi- + monde, world (from Latin mundus).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source

Demimonde

Dem`i*monde"\, n. [F.; demi + monde world, L. mundus.] Persons of doubtful reputation; esp., women who are kept as mistresses, though not public prostitutes; demireps.

Literary demimonde, writers of the lowest kind.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see demimonde on Thesaurus | Reference