Slang for a mistress or prostitute.
Doxy
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References
Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.
1665
- Sep
1667
- Jan
Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
Slang for a mistress or prostitute.
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Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.
1 Annotation
First Reading
CGS • Link
OED
doxy
Derivation unknown: perh. like some other terms of rogues' cant, of continental origin; possibly a deriv. of DOCK n.2 3.]
Originally the term in Vagabonds' Cant for the unmarried mistress of a beggar or rogue: a beggar's trull or wench: hence, slang, a mistress, paramour, prostitute; dial., a wench, sweetheart.
c1530 Hickscorner in Hazl. Dodsley I. 188 Of the stews I am made controller..There shall no man play doccy there.. Without they have leave of me.
1561 J. AWDELAY Frat. Vacab. 4 His woman with him..which he calleth his Altham if she be hys wyfe, & if she be his harlot, she is called hys Doxy. Ibid. 5 So she is called a Doxy, vntil she come to ye honor of an Altham [in Harman Autem].
1611 SHAKES. Wint. T. IV. ii. 2 With, heigh the Doxy ouer the dale.
1611 DEKKER Roaring Girle Wks. 1873 III. 217 My doxy stayes for me in a bousing ken.
sometimes the short version of
[The latter part of the words orthodoxy, heterodoxy, etc., from Gr. {delta}{goacu}{xi}{alpha} opinion.]