slut

slut
   This term has been applied to women since the fifteenth century and is still in use. It can mean either that a woman or girl is thought to be dirty and untidy, or that she is a loose woman, a prostitute.
   In The Minister, by Maurice Edelman, a husband who has just discovered that his wife was unfaithful to him calls her ‘you slut’, and then expands it to ‘you filthy slut’. In The Late Risers, by Bernard Wolfe, ‘you slut’ is used aggressively by a man to a prostitute.
   In The Business of Loving, by Godfrey Smith, ‘you lousy slut’ is used admiringly to a woman and is almost as endearment. In former times ‘slut’ could be used almost as a synonym for ‘girl’, with no particular imputation of bad qualities, but it was usually qualified with a word like ‘sweet’, ‘dear’, ‘admirable’, etc. It was also used to kitchen maids, as in Joseph Andrews, by Henry Fielding, where Mrs Tow-wouse refers to her maid Betty as ‘you slut’ in fairly ordinary circumstances.
   In modern times a house maid would probably greatly object to such a term, which is invariably insulting between strangers, or a recognition of sexual intimacy between man and woman. ‘Black nigger slut!’ says a white girl in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers. In Bhowani Junction, by John Masters, ‘you little slut’ used to a woman by a man is a prelude to their more intimate relationship.

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • slut — c.1400, a dirty, slovenly, or untidy woman, probably cognate with dialectal Ger. Schlutt slovenly woman, dialectal Swed. slata idle woman, slut, and Du. slodder slut, but the ultimate origin is doubtful. Chaucer uses sluttish (late 14c.) in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • slut — slut; slut·tery; slut·tish; slut·ty; slut·tish·ly; slut·tish·ness; …   English syllables

  • slut — SLUT, Ă, sluţi, te, adj., s.m. şi f. (Om) mutilat, schilodit, infirm, diform, pocit; p. ext. (om) foarte urât, hâd. – cf. ucr. s l u t y j . Trimis de IoanSoleriu, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  Slut ≠ frumos Trimis de siveco, 20.10.2008. Sursa:… …   Dicționar Român

  • Slut — (sl[u^]t), n. [OE. slutte; cf. OD. slodde a slut, Icel. sl[ o]ttr a heavy, loglike fellow, slota to droop.] 1. An untidy woman; a slattern. [1913 Webster] Sluts are good enough to make a sloven s porridge. Old Proverb. [1913 Webster] 2. A servant …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Slut — Christian Neuburger, 2011 …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • slut — /slut/, n. 1. a dirty, slovenly woman. 2. an immoral or dissolute woman; prostitute. [1375 1425; late ME slutte; cf. dial. slut mud, Norw (dial.) slutr sleet, impure liquid] * * * …   Universalium

  • slut — [ slʌt ] noun count OFFENSIVE an insulting word for a woman whose sexual behavior is considered immoral a. an insulting word for a woman who looks dirty and messy ╾ slut|tish adjective …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • slut — [slut] n. [ME slutte, prob. < Scand or LowG form akin to MLowG slote, ditch, mud puddle, Ice sluta, to dangle: for IE base see SLUG1] 1. a careless, dirty, slovenly woman; slattern 2. a sexually promiscuous woman: a derogatory or insulting… …   English World dictionary

  • slut — [slʌt] n taboo informal a very offensive word for a woman who has sex with a lot of different people. Do not use this word. >slutty adj >sluttish adj …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • slut- — *slut germ.?, Verb: nhd. schlaff hängen; ne. hang (Verb) slack; Rekontruktionsbasis: an.; Etymologie: s. ing. *sleu ?, *leu ?, Adjektiv, schlaff, Pokorny 962; …   Germanisches Wörterbuch

  • slut — ► NOUN ▪ a slovenly or promiscuous woman. DERIVATIVES sluttish adjective. ORIGIN of unknown origin …   English terms dictionary

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