trull

A woman in a tavern is called a trull by a disapproving man.

Definition

1. Noun (archaic):
   • A prostitute or a woman of loose morals: "trull" is an archaic term referring to a disreputable woman, often used in older literary contexts to denote a prostitute or a promiscuous female.
   • A female companion in a derogatory sense: In historical usage, it could also refer to a woman regarded as low or coarse, typically in a derogatory manner.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The old play described the tavern as a place where a trull might be found. (A prostitute or disreputable woman.)
  • In the ballad, the knight scorned the trull who sought his favor. (A woman of low moral character.)

Advanced Usage

• "trull" in historical literature: This word appears in works from the 16th to 18th centuries, often in plays or poems to depict a lower-class or immoral woman.
  • Shakespeare occasionally uses terms like "trull" to describe characters of questionable virtue. (An archaic synonym for a prostitute.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trull (noun): No common modern variants; the word is largely obsolete.
• Trollop (related but distinct): A more modern term for a disreputable woman, sometimes confused with "trull."
  • The term "trollop" is still used, though "trull" is now archaic. (Both refer to a woman of loose morals.)

Synonyms

• Harlot: a prostitute or promiscuous woman.
• Strumpet: an archaic term for a prostitute or immoral woman.
• Wench: a young woman, often used in historical contexts to mean a servant or prostitute.

Phrasal Verbs

• None: "trull" is not used in phrasal verbs due to its archaic nature.

Related Idioms

• None: No common idioms contain "trull" because of its obsolescence.