words used to describe women throughout the ages

[iverglas]

I was just musing ... the origin of the use of "broad" to refer to a woman (I know, before your time for many of you!) ... wondered what it was.

On-line dictionaries aren't helping me, but this is an interesting entry:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/broad

2. Slang chiefly US and Canadian
a. a girl or woman
b. a prostitute

From the 60s, I was used to the word as applied to women. I had not been aware of its use specifically to refer to prostitutes.

Which came first? Was it like "ho", which was first "whore", i.e. specifically applied to prostitutes, and it then came to be applied to women in general? Or did it somehow come into being as a word for a woman, and get narrowed to mean a prostitute? The former seems more likely, I guess. Perhaps it meant "prostitute" before my own time.

Aha. Someone else wanted to know.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070122004119AAuYj2T

Two people quote Historical Dictionary of American Slang; New Partridge Dictionary of Slang, which suggests that the use to refer to a prostitute predates the use to refer to a woman generally. From a 1914 dictionary entry:

Broad, Noun Current amongst genteel grafters chiefly. A female confederate; a female companion, a woman of loose morals. Broad is derived from the far-fetched metaphor of "meal ticket," signifying a female provider for a pimp, from the fanciful correspondence of a meal ticket to a railroad or other ticket.

What is it about women that men consider it appropriate to liken us all to prostitutes?

Or ... what is it about men that so many seem to think that women are prostitutes, for either their use or their profit?

Any other misogyny/etymology puzzles?


note: This thread is in the History of Feminism group's forum and it is recommended that the Statement of Purpose for the group be read before posting here.

[hlthe2b]

1. It is interesting... At least in Hollywood movies from the 40s....

the word "dame" was often used interchangeably with "broad"... in what seemed to be a term of "admiration" or endearment.

Since it does not seem (based purely on a cursory look) that the slang use of the term "dame" had such negative connotations as "broad", it seems possible that the early 1900s derogatory meaning (for "broad&quot might have waned? Or maybe that was just an old Hollywood paradox.



What do you think? Does "broad" carry that connotation as a gender slur today?

[Warpy]

2. Consider the idiotically patriarchal viewpoint

that says any woman who'd let a man do that to her and like it is a slut, even if that man is her husband.

The only women who escape this are lifelong virgins, and we know what they call those.

Popularized by films and culture to include any woman who was aware and living fully, it's no longer a gender slur even if it started out like one.

I'd much rather be called a broad than a girl or a hen.

[boston bean]

3. I ususally hear it used as dumb or stupid broad. nt

[seabeyond]

4. i was told way back when, it was a hard women. it wasnt a word we were allowed to use about women

i guess i was young enough that i wasnt going to get prostitute. but, i never knew broad meant prostitute. just wasnt allowed.

it is interesting that we have so very very many words to call a woman a ho