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quean

(Scotland) A young woman, a girl; a daughter.

kwiːn141 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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#1·Apr 27, 2026

(Scotland) A young woman, a girl; a daughter.

So ended Lauretta her song, to which all hearkened attentively, though not all interpreted it alike. Some were inclined to give it a moral after the Milanese fashion, to wit, that a good porker was better than a pretty quean.
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#2·Apr 27, 2026

(archaic) A woman, now especially an impudent or disreputable woman; a prostitute.

Origin: From , from , from , from , from . . Cognate with , , , , , , 𐌵𐌴𐌽𐍃. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Quean means: A woman, now especially an impudent or disreputable woman; a prostitute.. The word is mostly archaic or historical; you will only encounter it in old texts, period drama, or school history rather than current teen conversation. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

quean means: A woman, now especially an impudent or disreputable woman; a prostitute.. Register: archaic, historical. Almost never used today; you will find it only in older texts, dictionaries of dialect, or historical writing. Avoid in active vocabulary. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

Cluster: general
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