hetaera

See also: hetæra

English

Phryne revealed before the Areopagus (1861) by Jean-Léon Gérôme. The painting depicts Phryne, a famous hetaera of Ancient Greece, on trial before the Areopagus.

Alternative forms

hetaira
hetæra

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἑταῖρα (hetaîra), feminine of ἑταῖρος (hetaîros, “companion”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /hɪˈtɪəɹə/
IPA^(key): /hɪˈtaɪɹə/

Noun

hetaera (plural hetaerae or hetaeras)

(historical) a highly cultivated hired female companion in ancient Greece, who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them
- 1957, Lawrence Durrell, Justine:
  But of course our friend is only a shallow twentieth-century reproduction of the great hetairae of the past, the type to which she belongs without knowing it, Lais, Charis and the rest...
a mistress
- 1971, Gottfried Benn & E. B. Ashton, Primal vision: selected writings‎
  Woman is dethroned as the primary and supreme sex, debased into inseminable hetaera.
- 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers
  Christ appeared, only to reveal himself as the naked god Pan. Ballet of hetaerae and houris, choreography by Italo Castaldi.

Derived terms

hetaeric

Related terms

etaerio
hetaerism
hetaerist

Translations

mistress

Finnish: hetaira
French: hétaïre (fr) f

Russian: гете́ра (ru) f (getéra)
Spanish: hetera f, hetaira (es) f