Is "Demi-Monde" a French word? What does it mean in French?

Question

I know it means someone on the fringes in English, but I've often wondered if it really is a French word?

Answer 1

The term is really French and used to define a status in society. "Le grand monde" means "high society", "le bas monde" describes the lower classes. So when someone says "Il / elle appartient au demi-monde", it implies that they move in both circles without belonging to either, and one cannot define exactly their position in society. As mentioned above there were women who were kept by rich patrons as mistresses who went to the opera, balls, or races which were attended by the upper classes. They were classified as "demi-mondaines" precisely because they attended such events, but they were never invited by top notch people because they were not considered respectable enough. If you know the story of "La Dame aux Caméllias"(set to music in the opera "La Traviata"), the heroine is the prototype of the "demi-mondaine" and is prevented from marrying the young man whom she loves from a family in the "grande bourgeoisie" as it would jeopardise his sister' s chances of a respectable marriage.
So it does not mean "the underworld" but an undefinable zone in between classes, a grey area in society.

Answer 2

Demi Monde

Answer 3

RE:
Is "Demi-Monde" a French word? What does it mean in French?
I know it means someone on the fringes in English, but I've often wondered if it really is a French word?

Answer 4

"Demimonde" = name given in French to a class of women kept by wealthy lovers (mistresses).

Also, a group that's not considered respectable.
.

Answer 5

This is a french word. And it means women that are not considered respectable because of their promiscuous behavior.

Answer 6

It is French and means, literally, "half world". It is the underworld, the world of the night, of prostitutes and pimps, not respectable.

Answer 7

yep its french. "half world"