demimonde

[ dem-ee-mond; French duh-mee-mawnd ]

noun

1. (especially during the last half of the 19th century) a class of women who have lost their standing in respectable society because of indiscreet behavior or sexual promiscuity.
2. a demimondaine.
3. prostitutes or courtesans in general.
4. a group whose activities are ethically or legally questionable:

   a demimonde of investigative journalists writing for the sensationalist tabloids.

5. a group characterized by lack of success or status:

   the literary demimonde.

demimonde

/ ˌdɛmɪˈmɒnd; dəmimɔ̃d /

noun

1. (esp in the 19th century) those women considered to be outside respectable society, esp on account of sexual promiscuity
2. any social group considered to be not wholly respectable

Word History and Origins

Origin of demimonde¹

1850–55; < French, equivalent to demi- demi- + monde world (< Latin mundus )

Word History and Origins

Origin of demimonde¹

C19: from French, literally: half-world

Example Sentences

She befriended the New York downtown demimonde, including Warhol.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Montana often drew inspiration from the after-hours world of the Paris demimonde — the sex workers and dominatrixes, the denizens of the leather bars he frequented.

From New York Times

Even in her recent roles on “Pose” and “American Horror Story: NYC” — both set in the 1980s New York demimonde she inhabited — she brought a righteous earthiness, with some joie de vivre.

From New York Times

Of course, the devotion of part of the right-wing demimonde was not, in the end, enough to save Santos.

From Seattle Times

French bulldogs have a colorful, centuries-long history involving English lacemakers, the Parisian demimonde and Gilded Age American tourists who brought the dogs home.

From Seattle Times