noun
female entertainer and prostitute in historical Japan
Archaic term for a woman who performed music, danced, and also engaged in prostitution, often associated with the pleasure quarters of the Edo period or earlier.
浮かれ女は江戸時代の遊郭で歌や踊りを披露した。
Ukareme performed songs and dances in the pleasure quarters of the Edo period.
Compound of 浮かれ (ukare, 'merry, buoyant', from 浮かれる) and 女 (me, 'woman'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term likely referred to women who entertained with music and dance in a lively, floating-world context.