HETAERISM

Etymology

Noun

hetaerism (uncountable)

A theoretical early state of human society (as postulated by 19th-century anthropologists) which was characterized by the absence of the institution of marriage in any form, and where women were the common property of their tribe, and the children never knew their fathers.

An Ancient Greek custom according to which a man's wife was forbidden to accompany him to many public events, including the banquets or symposia which made up a large part of Greek social life, and where men sought out the company of courtesans or hetaerae instead.

Synonyms

• (theoretical early state of society): primitive promiscuity

Anagrams

• hemiteras, time-share, timeshare

Source: Wiktionary



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Word of the Day

10 April 2025

EXTINGUISHABLE

(adjective) capable of being extinguished or killed; “an extinguishable fire”; “hope too is extinguishable”


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Coffee Trivia

The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.

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