buying the services of a prostitute
Historical term referring to paying for a courtesan or prostitute, especially in the Edo period. Not used in modern everyday conversation.
In the Edo period, buying the services of a courtesan was done in the pleasure quarters.
Compound of 傾城 (keisei, 'courtesan' or 'beautiful woman who could topple a kingdom') and 買い (kai, 'buying'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the term is associated with Edo-period pleasure quarters.