Cyprian
pronunciation
How to pronounce Cyprian in British English:
UK ['sipriən]
How to pronounce Cyprian in American English:
US [ˈsɪpriən]
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- Noun:
- a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
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- Adjective:
- resembling the ancient orgiastic worship of Aphrodite on Cyprus
Word Origin
- Cyprian (adj.)
- 1620s, "of Cyprus," from Latin Cyprianus, from Cyprius, from Greek Kyprios (see Cyprus). The island was famous in ancient times as the birthplace of Aphrodite and for erotic worship rituals offered to her there; hence Cyprian meant "licentious, lewd," the earliest attested sense in English (1590s) and was applied 18c.-19c. to prostitutes.
Example
- 1. He went to the preparatory school st. cyprian ( for boys from 4 to 14 ) and then to the prestigious school eton .
- 2. In fact , outside of st. augustine , the fathers of the african church are to be grouped with st. cyprian in favour of the canonicity of the passage .