concubine

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English

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Etymology

From Middle English concubine (first attested 1250–1300), from Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubīna, equivalent to concub- (variant stem of concumbō (“to lie together”)) + feminine suffix -īna.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 229: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈkɑŋkjəbaɪn/

Noun

concubine (plural concubines)

  1. A sexual partner, especially a woman, to whom one is not or cannot be married.
  2. A woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife.
    • 1591, William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part III, act 3, scene 2:
      And that is more than I will yield unto:
      I know I am too mean to be your queen,
      And yet too good to be your concubine.
  3. (chiefly historical) A slave-girl or woman, kept for instance in a harem, who is held for sexual service.
    • 1611, “Judges 20:4–6”, in King James Bible:
      And the Levite, the husband of the woman that was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah that belongeth to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rose against me, and beset the house round about upon me by night, and thought to have slain me: and my concubine have they forced, that she is dead. And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the country of the inheritance of Israel: for they have committed lewdness and folly in Israel.
    • c. 1909, Mark Twain, “Letter VIII”, in Letters from the Earth:
      Solomon, who was one of the Deity's favorities, had a copulation cabinet composed of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

slave-girl — see slave-girl
mistress — see mistress

See also

References

  • Random House Unabridged Dictionary
  • “concubine”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Audio:(file)

Noun

concubine f (plural concubines or concubinen)

  1. concubine
    Synonyms: bijvrouw, bijwijf, bijzit, bijzitster

French

Noun

concubine f (plural concubines, masculine concubin)

  1. cohabitant (female)
  2. concubine

Italian

Pronunciation

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Noun

concubine f

  1. plural of concubina

Latin

Noun

(deprecated template usage) concubīne

  1. vocative singular of concubīnus

Middle English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubīna.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɔnkiu̯ˈbiːn(ə)/

Noun

concubine (plural concubines)

  1. A concubine; a secondary female partner.
  2. (rare) A illegitimate or unacknowledged partner (male or female)

Descendants

  • English: concubine

References

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