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eunuch

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Eunuch

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Middle English eunuk, from Middle French eunuque, from Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos), from εὐνή (eunḗ, bed) + ἔχω (ékhō, I have, keep). Originally probably used to refer to a bed chamber attendant.

Pronunciation

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  • enPR: yo͞oʹnək, IPA(key): /ˈjuː.nək/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)
  • Hyphenation: eu‧nuch

Noun

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eunuch (plural eunuchs)

  1. A castrated human male.
    • 1922, Michael Arlen, “2/1/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days[1]:
      Semiramis was the first woman to invent eunuchs and women have had sympathy for them ever since; [] and women can tell them what they can't tell other men.
  2. Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court or state officials.
  3. (in translations of ancient texts) A man who is not inclined to marry and procreate.
  4. (figurative) One that is ineffectual.
    • 1976 December 11, Ronnie Allen, “No Political Eunuch”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 24, page 4:
      Mr. Peterson really reaches for a low one when he says, "They (gays) should never commit themselves to any broader ideological movement." I am, paradoxically, a Christian, a Maxist, a Gay, and a Human Being. To be gay one should not be a political eunuch.

Usage notes

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  1. While the most common form is a eunuch, the form an eunuch (presumably with an appropriate pronunciation) is occasionally seen.
    • 1849, Austen Henry Layard, chapter III, in Nineveh and Its Remains: with an account of a visit to the Chaldean Christians of Kurdistan:
      [describing a bas-relief] An eunuch holds a fly-flapper or fan over the head of the king, who appears to be conversing or performing some ceremony with a figure standing in front of him; probably his vizir or minister.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

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eunuch (third-person singular simple present eunuchs, present participle eunuching, simple past and past participle eunuched)

  1. To castrate
  2. (figurative) To render ineffectual.

See also

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Czech

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Czech Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia cs

Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈɛu̯nux]
  • Hyphenation: eu‧nuch

Noun

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eunuch m anim (related adjective eunušský)

  1. eunuch (castrated man)
    Synonyms: kleštěnec, kastrát

Declension

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Further reading

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  • eunuch”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
  • eunuch”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
  • eunuch”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)

Dutch

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /œy̯ˈnʏx/, /œy̯ˈnyx/, /øː-/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: eu‧nuch
  • Rhymes: -ʏx

Noun

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eunuch m (plural eunuchen, diminutive eunuchje n)

  1. a eunuch (castrated man)
  2. a eunuch (castrated male harem guard)

Descendants

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  • Afrikaans: eunug

Hungarian

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Etymology

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From German Eunuch, from Latin eunuchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos, castrated man, eunuch, harem guard), from εὐνή (eunḗ, bed) + ἔχω (ékhō, I have, keep).[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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eunuch (plural eunuchok)

  1. eunuch (a castrated human male)
  2. eunuch (a harem guard)

Declension

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Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative eunuch eunuchok
accusative eunuchot eunuchokat
dative eunuchnak eunuchoknak
instrumental eunuchhal eunuchokkal
causal-final eunuchért eunuchokért
translative eunuchhá eunuchokká
terminative eunuchig eunuchokig
essive-formal eunuchként eunuchokként
essive-modal
inessive eunuchban eunuchokban
superessive eunuchon eunuchokon
adessive eunuchnál eunuchoknál
illative eunuchba eunuchokba
sublative eunuchra eunuchokra
allative eunuchhoz eunuchokhoz
elative eunuchból eunuchokból
delative eunuchról eunuchokról
ablative eunuchtól eunuchoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular
eunuché eunuchoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural
eunuchéi eunuchokéi
Possessive forms of eunuch
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. eunuchom eunuchjaim
2nd person sing. eunuchod eunuchjaid
3rd person sing. eunuchja eunuchjai
1st person plural eunuchunk eunuchjaink
2nd person plural eunuchotok eunuchjaitok
3rd person plural eunuchjuk eunuchjaik

References

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  1. ^ Tótfalusi, István. Idegenszó-tár: Idegen szavak értelmező és etimológiai szótára (’A Storehouse of Foreign Words: an explanatory and etymological dictionary of foreign words’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2005. →ISBN

Further reading

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  • eunuch in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
  • eunuch in Nóra Ittzés, editor, A magyar nyelv nagyszótára [A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (Nszt.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 2006–2031 (work in progress; published a–ez as of 2024).

Polish

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Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

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Learned borrowing from Latin eunūchus.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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eunuch m pers

  1. castrato, eunuch (castrated human male)
    Synonyms: kastrat, rzezaniec, trzebieniec
  2. (historical) eunuch (such a man who was harem guard or in Middle Eastern courts under Roman Emperors, important officials of the state)
  3. (derogatory) impotent (person incapable of taking a particular type of action that the situation requires)
    Synonym: impotent

Declension

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Derived terms

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noun
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noun

Further reading

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  • eunuch in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • eunuch in Polish dictionaries at PWN