To call someone a whore or treat them as one; to degrade or insult someone by associating them with promiscuity.
From Middle English 'be-' (a prefix meaning 'to cause to be' or 'to cover with') + 'whore' (a person engaged in sexual work). The 'be-' prefix was used productively in Early Modern English to create verbs meaning 'to make' or 'to treat as.' This word reflects the harsh judgment and social condemnation characteristic of earlier centuries.
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