demimonde

[ dem-ee-mond; French duh-mee-mawnd ]

noun
  1. (especially 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.

  1. prostitutes or courtesans in general.

  2. a group whose activities are ethically or legally questionable: a demimonde of investigative journalists writing for the sensationalist tabloids.

  3. a group characterized by lack of success or status: the literary demimonde.

Origin of demimonde

1
1850–55; <French, equivalent to demi-demi- + monde world (<Latin mundus)

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British Dictionary definitions for demimonde

demimonde

/ (ˌdɛmɪˈmɒnd, French dəmimɔ̃d) /


noun
  1. (esp in the 19th century) those women considered to be outside respectable society, esp on account of sexual promiscuity

  2. any social group considered to be not wholly respectable

Origin of demimonde

1
C19: from French, literally: half-world

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012