# καραπουτανάρα



## dukaine

What does this mean? I'm reading a story where a wife called her husband's mistress this name, and I can't find the meaning of it anywhere.

Thanks!


----------



## Acestor

You have two intensifiers here, the prefix _καρα-_ and the suffix _-άρα_. _Πουτάνα_ is the word for whore, slut. You can find it intensified as _καραπουτάνα_ or, rarely, as _πουτανάρα_. _Καραπουτανάρα_ combines the two.


----------



## dukaine

Acestor said:


> You have two intensifiers here, the prefix _καρα-_ and the suffix _-άρα_. _Πουτάνα_ is the word for whore, slut. You can find it intensified as _καραπουτάνα_ or, rarely, as _πουτανάρα_. _Καραπουτανάρα_ combines the two.


Do the intensifiers mean anything in particular, or do they just add emphasis?


----------



## Acestor

_Καρα_ originally meant "black" (and comes from Turkish _kara_), but in modern usage it just adds emphasis, same as the suffix -_άρα_.


----------



## dukaine

Acestor said:


> _Καρα_ originally meant "black" (and comes from Turkish _kara_), but in modern usage it just adds emphasis, same as the suffix -_άρα_.


Thanks so much! This is very helpful.


----------



## Astrix

dukaine said:


> Thanks so much! This is very helpful.



There is an alternative origin of "καρά", it comes from "κάρα" which means head in ancient Greek and it usually goes in front of greek surnames e.g. Καραγιώργος, the meaning is "big" or of high rank, something like this. So it can augment any other word.


----------



## dmtrs

Astrix said:


> There is an alternative origin of "καρά", it comes from "κάρα"



!!!

Do you have any verification for this by a valid/serious source?


----------



## Astrix

dmtrs said:


> !!!
> 
> Do you have any verification for this by a valid/serious source?


I do not remember where I had encountered it, just keep it in mind, I will have to look up my sources, though notice that many etymologies are just speculations made by someone at some point in the past but are recycled around like facts even in well established dictionaries.


----------



## dmtrs

Astrix said:


> many etymologies are just speculations made by someone at some point in the past but are recycled around like facts even in well established dictionaries.



Agreed, but I'd rather have that dictionary 'guarantee' than any 'unofficial' opinion easily spread via biased websites.


----------

