E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Saophron.
The girdle worn by Grecian women, whether married or not. The bridegroom loosed the bride’s girdle, whence “to loose the girdle” came to mean to deflower a woman, and a prostitute was called “a woman whose girdle is unloosed” (Γϕϕo).
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