Etymograph

English

hetaera

Hetaera comes from Ancient Greek ἑταίρᾱ ‘courtesan, escort, cultivated prostitute’, from ἑταῖρος ‘companion’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé ‘self’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swé‘self’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἑταῖροςhetaîros‘companion’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἑταίρᾱhetaírā‘courtesan, escort, cultivated prostitute’feminine of ἑταῖρος
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1957hetaera

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*swé‘self’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἑταῖροςhetaîros‘companion’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἑταίρᾱhetaírā‘courtesan, escort, cultivated prostitute’feminine of ἑταῖρος
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1957hetaera

Earliest quotation: 1957, Lawrence Durrell: “But of course our friend is only a shallow…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *swé ‘self’

such, self, suicide, solo, idiot, sole, sans, solitary, solitude, desolate, desolation, swain, idiocy, solitaire, sullen, solus, sere, 18 more

Today it means

noun A highly cultivated hired female companion who would entertain upper-class male clients and might perform sex acts for them.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *swé / hetaera

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