The word suripanta has several meanings and all of them have some relationship. First of all, a suripant is a woman who is engaged in high-level prostitution. On the other hand, this word is used as an insult or as a personal attack on the woman. Finally, the word suripanta refers to the chorus girl who acted as a comparsa in some theatrical performances in the 19th century.
The etymological origin of this term is unknown, but it is very likely that it comes from some regionalism in Spain.
The word suripanta in some Spanish-speaking countries
If a Spaniard hears the term suripanta, it is very likely that they do not know it and this is because it is a disused word and that it is more common among Spanish-American speakers. For an Argentine a suripanta is a prostitute, as for a Colombian, a Mexican or a Peruvian.
The use of the word suripanta as a synonym for prostitute or whore does not mean that it is used to refer to a woman who engages in prostitution, but rather that in practice it is used as an insult that seeks to offend the dignity of a woman.
Synonyms of prostituta in Spanish
In Spanish-speaking countries there are many terms that are used as insults towards women and all of them have some pejorative sexual connotation or have a certain relationship with prostitution: amberra, bataclana, guaricha, culipronta, lizard, manflora and a long etcetera. The same happens with the Spanish of Spain, with terms like bitch, vixen or whore.
Suripanta in the entertainment world
In the 19th century in Spain and in some Spanish-speaking countries there were very popular theatrical performances, such as the bufo genre, the sainete or the zarzuela. In the context of these representations a new character appeared, the suripanta.
It was a showgirl who animated the show and this caused the term suripanta to be very popular at that time. In this sense, it should be noted that there are many references in the Spanish literature of the nineteenth century to the suripantas.
There is a logical relationship between the terms suripanta and prostituta, since traditionally women who were dedicated to the world of entertainment were considered libertine and not very decent according to the prevailing moral values. A good example of this is one of the most famous dancers and courtesans of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bella Otero.
Photos: iStock - Pamela Moore / KatarzynaBialasiewicz
