Ecdysiast is a definition by Jack Rusher, published here Friday, November 22, 2002. It is part of Glossary.
A rose by any other name.
Gypsy Rose Lee
A brilliant word coined by American author H.L. Mencken (1880-1956). The word Ecdysiast is formed from ecdysis, a biological term for the casting off of outer casings and layers, like the shedding of a snake’s skin, or a spider’s moulting. An ecdysiast is what a less cultivated person might term a stripper.
Mr Mencken was referring to a Ms Gypsy Rose Lee when he first used the word ecdysiast.
Given the world-wide resurgence of burlesque, it may be time to resuscitate this fine bit of appellation.