mĕrē̆trix, īcis (gen. plur. meretricium, Plaut. Cas. 3, 3, 22: meretricum, id. Ep. 2, 2, 29; Ov. A. A. 1, 435), f. [mereo; she who earns money; hence],
a prostitute, harlot , courtesan : ita sunt hic meretrices omnes elecebrae argentariae, Plaut. Men. 2, 3, 26: meretricem indigne deperit, id. Bacch. 3, 3, 66: proterva meretrix procaxque, Cic. Cael. 20, 49: meretrix inter multos se dividit, Sen. Ben. 1, 14, 4: stat meretrix certo cuivis mercabilis aere, Ov. Am. 1, 10, 21: Augusta, i. e. Messalina, Juv. 6, 118: regina, i. e. Cleopatra, Plin. 9, 35, 58, § 119: Manilia, Gell. 4, 14, 3.