23

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language (Fourth Edition) reads:

gigolo, n. A man who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a woman.

Is there an English word [X] which fits the following definition?

[X], n. A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a man.

tchrist
  • 134,759
Elberich Schneider
  • 4,404
  • 2
    Isn't it just "prostitute"? Isn't that assumed to be female? – rsegal Aug 07 '12 at 11:52
  • As on-topic as this question is, there are too many possible inflammatory answers to be constructive. – Mitch Aug 07 '12 at 11:53
  • 6
    Prostitutes do not have a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a man. – Elberich Schneider Aug 07 '12 at 11:56
  • 4
    Prostitute seems fine to me. See where this link ends up: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigolo – Andrew Leach Aug 07 '12 at 11:59
  • 8
    Actually, I think the initial premise is wrong. What you describe is a toy boy, not a gigolo. – Andrew Leach Aug 07 '12 at 12:03
  • 1
    Related: What is the male equivalent of “mistress” in formal English, “Slut” term for males. – RegDwigнt Aug 07 '12 at 12:07
  • 2
    @AndrewLeach Except that toy boy (or boy toy) does not carry with it the notion of predominantly female clientele that gigolo seems to. – tchrist Aug 07 '12 at 12:35
  • 1
    @tchrist Who mentioned clientele? A toy boy has a long-term, older partner, usually (if not exclusively) female. A gigolo, on the other hand, is either a male prostitute or simply a man who sleeps around; but a long-term relationship is actively avoided! – Andrew Leach Aug 07 '12 at 12:40
  • @Andrew Leach But how could I call them otherwise? – Elberich Schneider Aug 07 '12 at 13:09
  • @AndrewLeach Most “male prostitutes” are sorry sorts servicing other, usually older men. They are often runaways, addicts, or both. No, this is not a pretty picture. – tchrist Aug 07 '12 at 16:53
  • Many other languages have strong masculine/feminine assocatives of words, which would make since why he would wonder about gender specifics of the word. It might be good to know what language OP is familiar with. – Chad Harrison Aug 07 '12 at 17:26
  • Voters to close - I didn't know about the word "Gigolette", and don't think this question should be closed just because of the risk of inflammatory answers. For me (female) the words "Gigolette", "Prostitute" and "Mistress" are very different, and give me additional information with which to have some much-needed arguments with some friends. At the end of the day, language is about the ability to express ourselves, and this question - and the answer - are helping me to do that. Vote to stay open, with thanks. – Lunivore Aug 07 '12 at 23:43
  • @Lunivore: Sorry, but someone has deleted the question on "bachelorette", too. I'm wonder whether this site is really helpful for clarifying doubts on English language! – Elberich Schneider Aug 07 '12 at 23:55
  • @XavierVidalHernández Doh. Dudes, stop that. – Lunivore Aug 08 '12 at 00:38
  • 2
    mistress and prostitute are 100% different. Mistress is engaged in a relationship with a person, sex being a part of that relationship. Whereas, prostitute provides sex, and only sex, in exchange for something. But to answer the question, the best I can think of is "sugar baby", i.e. in reference to "sugar daddy". I'd be interested to see how this conversation develops – user60812 Aug 08 '12 at 00:50
  • @Andrew Leach I just earned the "popular question" badge. To my ear this mean there are no false premises in the question! – Elberich Schneider Aug 08 '12 at 12:04
  • 1
    "Popular question" means that it was featured in the cross-site auto-collider and mentions sex. Once those two criteria are met, a question is practically guaranteed to be "popular". It has nothing to do with premises, correct, false, or otherwise. – Andrew Leach Aug 08 '12 at 14:41
  • It's a good thing you gave the definition you're using and the definition you're looking for, because the analogy in the subject line could also be read as "what is the word for the woman who is keeping a gigolo?". – John Y Aug 08 '12 at 22:03
  • Another French word that might fit the bill is demimondaine (I must admit I never encountered it in English but a quick search suggests it does exist, with a similar meaning). – Gala Jun 29 '14 at 22:27
  • This question received TEN answers!? How can you say it's not got enough attention in your bounty message? The top three answers total 89 upvotes. Why is the accepted answer, unsatisfactory now? – Mari-Lou A Sep 20 '14 at 13:53
  • Ack, foolish pride! – Mari-Lou A Sep 27 '14 at 14:06
  • To users who might read this comment, a little back-history.... Ahh back again. Why do have a habit of FORGETTING to award your bounties? This is not your first bounty. It's incredibly infuriating and quite inexplicable to me, considering the site reminds users of the expiry date. Note that the community awarded @Mysti was only HALF of your FIRST bounty, which you did not award. What guarantee do you offer that this time will be any different. Please, do not bother replying in Italian. This is an English language website. – Mari-Lou A Jul 18 '15 at 08:58
  • 1
    I understand Gigolo also as a Bon Vivant and seducer - someone like Casanova, Don Juan... When thinking of a female pendant with hedonistic and feminine traits I'd also throw in the Femme fatale. Of course there is no link to financial support. – Jonny 5 Jul 18 '15 at 09:40
  • 1
    "Tigress" is sometimes used to refer to a female serial seducer. – Hot Licks Jul 19 '15 at 21:46
  • -1 DOWNVOTE from me for not awarding yet another bounty. – Mari-Lou A Jul 26 '15 at 07:24
  • @user60812 "Sugar baby" is kind of a gender neutral version of this concept since there is also "sugar momma". – colorlace Aug 04 '21 at 15:00

14 Answers14

61

There is "mistress".

7. A woman other than his wife with whom a man has a long-lasting sexual relationship. [OED]

Also "kept woman".

GEdgar
  • 25,177
39

There might have been a word to match the definition, once upon a time.

The English took the word gigolo from the French in the 1920s.

But the word was rather recent in the French language at the time. It had appeared in French, together with its feminine equivalent gigolette, in the middle of the 19th century.

What’s interesting is that there are two suspected origins to the words gigolo and gigolette in French. One of them is that both words derive from the Old English word giglet or giglot, which the OED defines as:

† a.  Originally, a lewd, wanton woman (obs.).
   b.  A giddy, laughing, romping girl.

tchrist
  • 134,759
None
  • 4,216
37

I believe it would be "kept woman". Take a look at the definition at Cambridge Dictionary Online:

someone who does not work but is instead given money and a place to live by the person she or he is having a sexual relationship with

It seems to be the closest parallel for a female gigolo. Mistress, on the other hand, does not necessarily receives financial support, even if it may be common.

J.R.
  • 58,828
  • 5
  • 95
  • 196
Rodrigo Guedes
  • 855
  • 2
    See @Gedgar's answer. – coleopterist Aug 07 '12 at 16:20
  • 7
    Yes, I saw it. But I disagree with the part he mentions "mistress" for it doesn't necessarily involves money. – Rodrigo Guedes Aug 07 '12 at 16:30
  • 1
    In that case, please expand on this distinction by adding to your answer. That said, mistresses usually are 'kept'. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mistress_(lover). – coleopterist Aug 07 '12 at 16:39
  • thefreedictionary.com defines "mistress" as "A woman who has a continuing sexual relationship with a usually married man who is not her husband and from whom she generally receives material support." I've always understood the idea of mistress to involve financial support. – Jay Aug 07 '12 at 21:05
  • 6
    @coleopterist: If you read that Wikipedia entry you'll see that the implication of keptness is historical. Today, at least in the U.S., the word mistress carries much less, if any, implication of financial support. While mistress may still be understood by some to mean kept woman, why not just be explicit and say kept woman? – John Y Aug 08 '12 at 21:51
23

You might consider concubine, courtesan, or even châtelaine more suitable for a longtime paramour than the simple harlot or streetwalker implies.

tchrist
  • 134,759
  • Courtesan is a good suggestion. Châtelaine, however, means 'mistress of the house', or even 'lady of the manor'; not so good. – Tim Lymington Sep 20 '12 at 22:47
  • @tchrist I agree with the first two suggestions but would you please provide some elaboration or references to go alongside the references? – Tonepoet Jul 18 '15 at 14:52
  • the online Merriam Webster dictionary, for 'courtesan', has: "a woman who has sex with rich or important men in exchange for money : a prostitute who has sex with wealthy and powerful men" – user58319 Jul 24 '15 at 01:11
  • In French, at least, 'gigolo' is not really derogatory, and neither is 'courtisane': both (like to think they) have style, are not simple prostitutes. I feel that the status of a 'gigolo' and of a 'courtesan' are closest. – user58319 Jul 24 '15 at 01:16
13

Because of the asymmetry of relations between men and women, there are few real world instances of a conceptual counterpart to 'gigolo' that is female. And though this doesn't imply necessity, there is no word in English that captures this concept.

The closest thing you can come up with is the compound 'female gigolo', which sounds a bit incongruous given that, while there are many words for women that are not exact counterparts to 'gigolo', they are in the general area. Any possible counterparts are either too general or too specific. (e.g. 'concubine', which I find the closest, has too many connotations of class, monetary situation, legality, cultural and religious association).

Mitch
  • 71,423
  • +1 for highlighting the real-world asymmetry of gender relations. Maybe the asymmetry is slowly decreasing, but it is very far from gone. – John Y Aug 08 '12 at 21:56
11

"Gold Digger" is the term that comes to mind for me if slang is acceptable. The similarities are that a gold digger can be assumed to be an attractive female who can change men at will, and chooses to stay with whoever spends the most on her. Not a prostitute, but a fair weather companion more or less.

I think this fits better than kept woman or mistress because in those two situations the woman is considered to be more attached and long term of a partner, with a clear goal of obtaining financial benefit from the relationship. Kept woman has the implication that the male is arranging the situation, while a mistress isn't necessarily financially motivated.

The Kanye West song of the same name explains it pretty well too. :-)

Great Turtle
  • 219
  • 1
    +1 for encourgement of enriching oneself with Kanye West. – Chad Harrison Aug 07 '12 at 17:19
  • 2
    I think the implication of "gold digger" is that her motivation is covert. She pretends to be in a emotional relationship to exploit her lover economically. With "kept women", the financial nature of the relationship is overt and agreed-to. – Michael Lorton Aug 07 '12 at 19:05
  • A gold digger is looking to make money out of someone, a gigolo would at least want the fee agreed up-front. – Jon Hanna Aug 07 '12 at 20:33
11

I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the term "sugar baby", although you won't find that in any heritage dictionaries. It has many results on UrbanDictionary.com though:

It has the counterpart word "sugar daddy" to refer to the man who is providing the "financial support". I suspect you're curious, rather than personally interested, but either way, here's some general career advice for aspiring sugar babies:

MalcolmOcean
  • 475
8

What about an Escort ?

Female “companions” come in all shapes, sizes and prices. However, the ones we hear about the most are the high class escorts who make an incredible living being the recipients of both cash and prizes.

In fact, in many instances, these Escorts make as much as some of the traders on Wall Street.

Another dictionary reference for Gigolette : A woman who seeks the company and support of rich, older men.

Misti
  • 13,774
7

A gigolette is mentioned here, but I cannot find the reference in English dictionaries.

Bravo
  • 16,067
  • 3
    You won't find it in an English dictionary. You are giving a link to a French Thesaurus, not to a translation dictionary. And it says the word is obsolete, and I confirm it is very obsolete and would not be understood as the feminine form of gigolo by most French people. – None Aug 07 '12 at 16:29
  • 1
    Gigolo and Gigolette is the name of a 1935 short story by W. Somerset Maugham.¹ – MetaEd Aug 07 '12 at 16:50
  • @ΜετάEd: A short story that takes place on the French Riveria. The "French touch" in the title is obviously deliberate. – None Aug 07 '12 at 17:10
  • It is mentioned in the etymology of Gigolo in fifth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary but it is not an entry of its own, suggesting that it never made the transition over into the English language – Tonepoet Jul 18 '15 at 14:41
4

Since no one else mentioned it yet, I believe the term call girl has many of the same connotations as gigolo but for females.

MartianInvader
  • 141
3

The word doxy has had different implications over its lifetime, but has at times corresponded with gigolo pretty well.

Since it's now pretty much obsolete, this is no longer the case.

In all, I'd say whore is the best match. It doesn't align very well in terms of nuance, but then that's precisely the nature of the society that gave us gigolos and whores; they don't align fairly.

Jon Hanna
  • 53,363
2

I've seen hetaira, plural hetairai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hetaira) used.

Joe McMahon
  • 954
2

Closest term I can think of is Call-girl. It's a prevalent term when it comes to defining a female that is sexually involved for money in return.

Dunnup
  • 210
1

trophy wife/girlfriend: a young, attractive woman who is the partner of a rich and successful older man and acts as a symbol of his social position

Jimmy
  • 2,392