/dem"ee mond'/ ; Fr. /deuh mee mawonnd"/ , n.
1. (esp. during the last half of the 19th century) a class of women who have lost their standing in respectable society because of indiscreet behavior or sexual promiscuity.
2. a demimondaine.
3. prostitutes or courtesans in general.
4. a group whose activities are ethically or legally questionable: a demimonde of investigative journalists writing for the sensationalist tabloids.
5. a group characterized by lack of success or status: the literary demimonde.
[ 1850-55; demi- DEMI- + monde world ( mundus ) ]