πόρνη

πόρνη — pórnē

πόρνη, πόρνης, ἡ (from περάω, πέρνημι, to sell; Curtius, § 358), properly a woman who sells her body for sexual uses (cf. Xenophon, mem. 1, 6, 13), the Sept. for זונָה;

1. properly, a prostitute, a harlot, one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain (Aristophanes, Demosthenes, others); in the N. T. universally, any woman indulging in unlawful sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust: Mat 21:31; Luk 15:30; 1Co 6:15; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25.

2. Hebraistically (see πορνεία, b. and πορνεύω, 3), metaphorically, an idolatress; so of 'Babylon' i. e. Rome, the chief seat of idolatry: Rev 17:1; Rev 17:5; Rev 17:15; Rev 19:2.