Dirne

See also: dirne

German

From Middle High German dierne (“girl; servant”), from Old High German diorna, thiorna (“girl; servant”), from Proto-Germanic *þewernǭ, *þewernō (“maid, servant girl”), from Proto-Indo-European *tekw- (“to run, flow”).

Dirne f (genitive Dirne, plural Dirnen)

(derogatory, dated, also biblical) whore (prostitute or sexually unreserved woman)

Synonyms: Buhldirne, Lustdirne, Hure

Hyponym: Straßendirne

The sense has developed from the predominant use in the compounds Buhldirne and Lustdirne in the later nineteenth century, in the literature of which it is for the “whore” sense more likely to encounter the compounds. Now, the older sense “girl; lass” is restricted to dialectal cognate forms. Northern German Deern and Bavarian Dirndl are widely understood, though not commonly used outside of their traditional areas.

Declension of Dirne