Quean meaning

kwēn

A woman regarded as being disreputable, especially a prostitute.

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A woman, now especially an impudent or disreputable woman; a prostitute. [from 10th c.]

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(scots) A young woman.

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(Scotland) A young woman, a girl; a daughter. [from 15th c.]

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(scot.) A girl or unmarried woman.

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Origin of quean

Middle English quene from Old English cwene woman gwen- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Middle English quene (“young, robust woman"), from Old English cwene (“woman, female serf"), from Proto-Germanic *kwenÇ (“woman"), from Proto-Indo-European *gÊ·á¸—n (“woman"). Cognate with Dutch kween (“a barren woman, a barren cow"), Low German quene (“barren cow, heifer"), German dialectal Kan, Chan (“woman, wife"), Swedish kvinna (“woman"), Icelandic kona (“woman"), Gothic ðŒµðŒ¹ðŒ½ð‰ (qino, “female, woman"), ðŒµðŒ´ðŒ½ðƒ (qens, “wife"). More at queen.

From Wiktionary