Plural of harlot; people (historically and traditionally women) who work as prostitutes or engage in sexual immorality.
Plural of harlot, from Middle English harlot, via Old French harlote. The singular form's origin is uncertain but possibly Germanic in source.
Shakespeare uses 'harlot' more as an insult about moral character than specifically about sex work, showing how the word's meaning shifted over centuries from occupational term to general moral condemnation applied unevenly across genders.
Plural of harlot, which historically applied gender-selectively to female sex workers. The term carried moral condemnation that lacked equivalence in male-gendered terms.
Use 'sex workers' or 'people engaged in sex work.' If discussing historical usage, explicitly name the gendered stigma the term carried.
["sex workers","people in sex work","prostitutes (historical contexts)"]
Contemporary sex worker movements have reclaimed agency over terminology; language should reflect choice and economic circumstance rather than moral judgment.
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