Maquereel
/ˈmækərəl/noun
An obsolete English word meaning a pimp or procurer, and historically also a variant of mackerel.
Did you know?Medieval French maquereau could mean both “mackerel” and “pimp,” although scholars debate whether the sexual sense arose from the fish-word or from a separate Dutch-derived term for a broker or intermediary.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle Ages
Middle Dutch
makelaar
“Broker, intermediary, or agent; a proposed source for the procurer-related sense.”
12th–13th Century
Old French
maquerel
“A form associated with both “mackerel” and “pimp” or “procurer.””
14th Century
Anglo-Norman
maquere(l)
“A procurer or pimp; the fish sense also circulated in related forms.”
14th–15th Century
Middle English
maquereel
“A pimp or procurer; also used as a variant spelling of mackerel.”
Modern English
English
maquereel
“Obsolete and chiefly historical; encountered in discussions of medieval or early modern sexual vocabulary.”