Last updated on: 3/5/2009 | Author: ProCon.org

Glossary

TERM DEFINITION
Abolition
The act of formally destroying something through legal means, either by making it illegal, or simply no longer allowing it to exist in any form.

Assignation
An appointment for a meeting between lovers. An engagement.

Bawdy House
A house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution.

Bordello
A house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution.

Brothel
A house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution.

Call Girl
A female prostitute with whom an appointment may be made by telephone.

Call House
A house or apartment where call girls may be procured.

Cat House
A house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution.

Clandestinas
Name given to prostitutes, in a country with a legal system regulating prostitution, who work illegally as unregistered prostitutes.

Coitus
Sexual intercourse between a male and a female involving insertion of the penis into the vagina.

Courtesan
A prostitute with courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele.

Criminalize
To impose a criminal penalty on or for; outlaw.

Curb Crawling
The practice of trying to pick up a prostitute by driving slowly along the curb.

Decriminalize
To remove or reduce the criminal classification or status.

Escort
A person, often a prostitute, who is hired to spend time with another as a companion.

Felony
A crime sufficiently serious to be punishable by death or a term in state or federal prison, as distinguished from a misdemeanor.

Femmes Libres
A sexually active unmarried woman. Often used as a euphemism for a prostitute.

Gigolo
A male prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.

Globalization
Growth to a global or worldwide scale.

Harlot
A prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.


Hooker
A prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.

House of Ill Fame
A house appropriated to the purposes of prostitution.

Human Trafficking
The commercial trade (smuggling) of human beings, who are subjected to involuntary acts such as begging, sexual exploitation (eg. prostitution and forced marriage), or forced labor (e.g. involuntary servitude or working in sweatshops).

Hustle
To engage in prostitution.

John
A prostitute’s client.

Kerb Crawler
Someone who drives slowly along the curb seeking sex from prostitutes.

Lady of the Night
Euphemistic term for a prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.

Legalize
To make legal; To give legal validity or sanction to.

Lewd
Sexual in an obvious and rude way.

Libertarian
An advocate of the doctrine of free will. A person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action.

Madam
The female head of a house of prostitution.

Marginalize
To relegate to an unimportant or powerless position within society or a group.

Misdemeanor
A lesser crime usually punishable by a fine and/or county jail time for up to one year.

Pander
To procure sexual favors for somebody (ex. a pimp or madam).

Patriarchy
A system of society in which men hold most or all of the power.

Pimp
A person, usually a man, who solicits customers for a prostitute or a brothel, in return for a share of the earnings.

Prostitute
One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.

Prostitution
The act of engaging in sexual intercourse or performing other sex acts in exchange for payment.

Punter
British slang for a prostitute’s client. A john.

Red-Light
A part of a city where people and businesses sell sex.

Self-Determination
Free choice of one’s own acts or states without external compulsion.

Sex Worker
A person whose work involves sexually explicit behavior. Includes prostitutes.

Soapland
A type of brothel in Japan that involves bathing.

Solicitation
The crime of encouraging or inducing another to commit a crime or join in the commission of a crime. Solicitation may refer to a prostitute’s (or their pimp’s) offer of sexual acts for pay.

Street Walker
A prostitute who solicits in the streets.

Strumpet
A prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.

Trafficking
Transactional Sex
The giving of gifts or services in return for sex. Those who receive the gifts generally have other sources of incomes.

Victimize
To make a victim of.

Whore
A prostitute. One who engages in sexual intercourse or performs other sex acts in exchange for payment.