You searched for:
“meretricious”
meretricious, meretriciously
1. Attracting attention in a vulgar manner.
2. Plausible but false or insincere; specious: "He had a meretricious argument."
3. Of or relating to prostitutes or prostitution: "They had meretricious relationships."
2. Plausible but false or insincere; specious: "He had a meretricious argument."
3. Of or relating to prostitutes or prostitution: "They had meretricious relationships."
Believe it or not, but this word is related to the origins of merit; literally, "one who earns money" from Latin mereri, "to earn". The result is that the Latin meretricius (modern, meretricious) means "pertaining to harlots; someone who earns money by means of prostitution".
This entry is located in the following unit:
merit-, meri-, mere-
(page 1)
Word Entries at Get Words:
“meretricious”
meretricious (mer" i TRISH uhs) (adjective), more meretricious, most meretricious
1. Pertaining to being showily but falsely attractive: The advertisement used for the car was meretricious, a lot o flash, but very deceptive.
2. A reference to being based on pretense; deceptively pleasing: In old novels, the villain frequently uses meretricious compliments to seduce the innocent heroine.
2. A reference to being based on pretense; deceptively pleasing: In old novels, the villain frequently uses meretricious compliments to seduce the innocent heroine.
This entry is located in the following units:
English Words in Action, Group M
(page 3)
Misleading Meanings of English Words
(page 1)