Definition
The exchange of sexual services for money; also historically used metaphorically to mean debasing something valuable.
Etymology
From Latin 'prostitutio,' derived from 'prostituere' (to expose publicly, to put up for sale), combining 'pro-' (forward) and 'statuere' (to set up). The word carries its literal Latin meaning into English.
Kelly Says
The Latin root 'prostitutio' originally just meant 'publicly exposed'—the Romans used this word clinically, while English adopted it to describe a specific transaction, showing how different languages approached the same practice differently.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ሴት ንብረት
set n-bre-t
CACatalà
prostitució
proh-stit-oo-thee-o
CSČeština
prostituce
proh-stit-oo-tse
DADansk
prostitution
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
DEDeutsch
Prostitution
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
ELΕλληνικά
συνοικία
see-noh-kee-ah
ESEspañol
prostitución
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
FAفارسی
prostitution
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
FISuomi
prostituutio
proh-stit-oo-tee-o
FRFrançais
prostitution
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
HIहिन्दी
वेश्यावृत्ति
vehs-ya-av-r-tti
HUMagyar
prostitució
proh-stit-oo-thee-o
IDBahasa Indonesia
prostitusi
proh-stit-oo-see
ITItaliano
prostituzione
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn-e
MRMR
वैचारिक
vai-chaar-ik
MSBahasa Melayu
prostitusi
proh-stit-oo-see
NLNederlands
prostitutie
proh-stit-oo-tee-e
NONorsk
prostitusjon
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
PLPolski
prostitucja
proh-stit-oo-tsee-ya
PTPortuguês
prostituição
proh-stit-oo-ee-s-aow
RORomână
prostituție
proh-stit-oo-thee-e
RUРусский
проституция
proh-stit-oo-tsee-ya
SVSvenska
prostitution
proh-stit-oo-thee-ohn
SWKiswahili
uchumi wa ngono
oo-cho-mee wa ng-ono
TEతెలుగు
వ్యవసాయం
vyavasayam
THไทย
ค้าประเวณี
khao-pra-we-nee
TLTL
pagbebenta ng seks
pa-gbe-ben-ta ng seks
TRTürkçe
fahişlik
fah-i-sh-lik
UKУкраїнська
проституція
proh-stit-oo-tsee-ya
VITiếng Việt
buôn bán tình dục
boon ban tinh-duc
YOYO
Iṣẹ́ ṣegbẹ́
ee-sheh sheh-gbeh
ZUZU
ukuthwala
oo-koo-th-wa-la
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
Prostitution law and stigma have historically targeted women while criminalizing female sexuality and economic desperation. The term carries gendered moral judgment absent from equivalent male economic activities.
Inclusive Usage
Use 'sex work' for neutral framing or 'prostitution' only in legal/historical contexts. Recognize that criminalization disproportionately harms women and gender minorities.
Inclusive Alternatives
["sex work","transactional sex"]
Empowerment Note
Women's agency in survival economies has been erased by conflating coercion with choice. Feminist economics centers workers' dignity and structural inequality.