Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

mĕrē̆trīcĭus, a, um, adj. [meretrix], of or pertaining to harlots or prostitutes, meretricious.

  1. I. Adj. (class.): meretricia ornamenta, Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 63: quaestus, Cic. Phil. 2, 18, 44: disciplina, id. Verr. 2, 3, 3, § 6: domus, a courtesan’s house, Ter. Eun. 5, 5, 18: amores, Cic. Cael. 20, 48.
  2. II. Subst.: mĕrē̆trīcĭum, ii, n.
      1. 1. The art of a courtesan: inmutari blandimentis, hortamentis, ceteris meretriciis, Plaut. Truc. 2, 2, 63.
      2. 2. The trade of a harlot: meretricium facere, Suet. Calig. 40.
        Hence, adv.: mĕrē̆trīcĭē, after the manner of harlots, meretriciously (ante-class.): digne ornata, haud meretricie, Plaut. Mil. 3, 2, 58.

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 moncy; 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.