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concubine
[ kong-kyuh-bahyn, kon- ]
noun
- a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married, especially one regarded as socially or sexually subservient; mistress.
- (among polygamous peoples) a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.
- (especially formerly in Muslim societies) a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes.
concubine
/ ˈkɒn-; ˈkɒŋkjʊˌbaɪn; kɒŋˈkjʊbɪnərɪ /
noun
- (in polygamous societies) a secondary wife, usually of lower social rank
- a woman who cohabits with a man
Derived Forms
- concubinary, nounadjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of concubine1
Word History and Origins
Origin of concubine1
Example Sentences
She started as a concubine and transformed herself into one of the key political players of her time.
Reuben the oldest was told that he would not excel, because he had loved his father's concubine and committed a grievous sin.
Mary, his Egyptian concubine, was endeared to him by the birth of Ibrahim.
He was born of Hagar, who was a concubine; and they still indulge themselves in the use of mercenary wives and concubines.
Julius Capitolinus reproaches the Emperor Verus for cutting his beard at the instigation of a concubine.
The slave who is captured in war and carried away as a concubine appears only at a far later stage of culture.
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