Hiren

English

Etymology

From the name of a character in George Peele's The Turkish Mahamet and Hyrin the fair Greek; originally a version of the name Irene.

Noun

Hiren (plural Hirens)

1. (rare) A seductive woman; a courtesan.
   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene iv]:

     Pistol. Haue we not Hiren here? / Host. On my word Captaine there's none such here.

   • 1615, Thomas Adams, Sprituall Navigator:

     What a number of these Sirens, Hirens, Cockatrices, Courtezans, in plaine English, Harlots, swimme amongst vs!

   • 1969, Vladimir Nabokov, Ada or Ardor, Penguin, published 2011, page 275:

     I summoned all the twenty hirens of the house (including the sweet-lipped, glossy chinned darling) into my resurrected presence.

Anagrams

• Hiner, Rhine, rhein, rhine