The meaning of prostitute.

Pocket Oxford says,

"-noun. 1 woman who engages in sexual activity for payment.2(usu. male
prostitute) man or boy who engages in sexual activity, esp. with
homosexual men, for payment."

"-verb. (-ting) 1 make a prostitute of (especially oneself). 2 misuse or
offer (one's talents, skills, name, etc.) for money etc."

Webster's says,

"1. to sell the services of (oneself or another) for purposes of sexual
intercourse. 2 to sell (oneself, one's integrity, etc.) for unworthy
purposes.  adj. debased; corrupt. n. 1. a woman who engages in
promiscuous sexual intercourse for pay. 2. a writer, artist, etc. who
sells his services for unworthy purposes."



On Mon, 7 Jul 1997, Tresy Kilbourne wrote:

> >does prostitution encourage the altruism in
> >human nature? I think not, but it is a perfectly valid example of work for
> >wages, when you do any job simply because it is remunerated, rather than
> >because it is worth doing you are no different than a prostitute.
>
> I have certainly felt like a prostitute at some jobs I've had, Bill, but
> that had to do with the nature of the work, rather than the motives for
> doing it.  But you socialists really need to get your party line
> straightened out. I was over at another "progressive" discussion group
> yesterday where a person was censured for using "prostitute"
> perjoratively, as you just did. He was lectured that "prostitution" is a
> fine, upstanding line of work that only capitalists look down upon.

I suspect "prostitution" was meant to refer to work in the sex trade, not to
whether an individual sex trade worker *felt* like a prostitute, ie. felt
abused and degraded by the *conditions* of employment. It is consistent for
a person to endorse the sex trade or any business, but also condemn
"prostitution" ie. the socio-economic conditions of a society which draw
people into a particular trade and then puts extreme pressure on them to
remain in the same trade when they would rather leave.

Harry Veeder