concubine

C2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈkɑːŋkjəbaɪn/ UK /ˈkɒŋkjʊbaɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #14495

Meanings

1

noun
historical: a woman recognized as a man's sexual partner but given lower social or legal status than a wife

The court record distinguished each concubine from the ruler's legally married wives.
2

noun
historical: an enslaved or dependent woman kept for sexual access, especially within a royal or elite household

The archive records that the captive woman was forced to serve as a concubine.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · historical: a woman... secondary partner

2 noun · historical: an enslaved or... enslaved sexual partner

Word family

Forms concubines

Derived forms concubinageconcubinalconcubinary

Related forms polygynyharem marriage slavery

Etymology

From Middle English and Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubina, 'a woman who lies with a man,' based on concumbere, 'to lie together.' Historical systems varied widely, but the term usually marked a partner whose legal or social standing was below that of a wife.

Topics

People & Society

External links

# concubine

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈkɑːŋkjəbaɪn/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈkɒŋkjʊbaɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 14495

## Meanings
1. historical: a woman recognized as a man's sexual partner but given lower social or legal status than a wife
2. historical: an enslaved or dependent woman kept for sexual access, especially within a royal or elite household

## Examples
- The court record distinguished each concubine from the ruler's legally married wives.
- The archive records that the captive woman was forced to serve as a concubine.

## Synonyms
- secondary partner

## Derived Forms
- concubinage
- concubinal
- concubinary

## Related Forms
- polygyny
- harem
- marriage
- slavery

## Etymology
From Middle English and Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubina, 'a woman who lies with a man,' based on concumbere, 'to lie together.' Historical systems varied widely, but the term usually marked a partner whose legal or social standing was below that of a wife.

## Topics
- People & Society

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