• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the term “Streetwalker” come from and What does Streetwalker mean?

Where does the term “Streetwalker” come from and What does Streetwalker mean?

May 25, 2020 by Karen Hill

Literally, of course, a streetwalker is merely a pedestrian, anyone who is out for a walk either in or along a street.

Even though this sense of the word is known and has been used for many years, a still older use is the one applied to a woman of easy virtue, and again the origin has been lost in the mists of antiquity.

This sense dates to the sixteenth century, and was probably known to Shakespeare.

It seems probable that the term was coined as being descriptive of the practice of prostitutes in pursuing their trade openly on the streets rather than awaiting a customer’s chancing to seek them out at home.

Related Facts

  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • History of Shoes
  • Where does the term “Paris Green” come from and What does Paris Green mean?
  • How did the Fire Department put out the San Francisco fire of 1906?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “Quarterstaff” come from and What does Quarterstaff mean?
Next Post: Where does the word “Eaglestone” come from and What does Eaglestone mean? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy