world's oldest profession

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

First appears c. 1888,[1] coined by Rudyard Kipling as most ancient profession in the world.[2] Alternative forms appeared in the early 1900s, present form popular by the 1930s.[2] Similar terms with various senses (not necessarily prostitution) exist in other languages.

Pronunciation

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Noun

the world's oldest profession (plural not attested)

  1. (euphemistic) Prostitution.
    • 1888, Rudyard Kipling, “On the City Wall”, in In Black and White:
      Lalun is a member of the most ancient profession in the world.
    • 1929, Agatha Christie, The Seven Dials Mystery:
      The company was extremely mixed. There were portly foreigners, opulent Jewesses, a sprinkling of the really smart, and several ladies belonging to the oldest profession in the world.

Translations

  • Some local terms have slight variants while others are strict translations with varying degrees of usage.

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “world's oldest profession”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Is Prostitution Really the World's Oldest Profession? It is pretty old., by Forrest Wickman, Slate, March 6, 2012
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