concubine
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
Origin: 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Latin concubīna, equivalent to concub- (variant stem of concumbō (“‘to lie together’”)) + feminine suffix -īna.
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
concubine (plural concubines)
- A woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife.
- A slave-girl for sexual service prominent in all ancient cultures.
- Signifies a relationship where the male is the dominant partner, socially and economically
- A woman attached to a man solely for reproduction, and who cares for the resulting children without any romantic relationship
- (esp. formerly in Arabic societies) a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes. [1]
[edit] Translations
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Notes:
- ^ Random House Unabridged Dictionary
[edit] Italian
[edit] Noun
concubine f.
- Plural form of concubina.