concubine

concubine
/kong"kyeuh buyn', kon"-/, n.
1. a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married, esp. one regarded as socially or sexually subservient; mistress.
2. (among polygamous peoples) a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.
3. (esp. formerly in Muslim societies) a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes.
[1250-1300; ME ( < AF) < L concubina, equiv. to concub- (var. s. of concumbere to lie together; see CON-, INCUMBENT) + -ina fem. suffix]

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  • CONCUBINE — CONCUBINE, marital companion of inferior status to a wife. In the Bible The term in Hebrew is pilegesh, the equivalent of Greek pallakis (παλλακίς) and Latin pellex. Among the Assyrians the concubine (esirtu) gained the rank of wife only after… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • concubine — CONCUBINE. s. f. Celle qui n étant point mariée avec un homme, vit avec lui comme si elle étoit sa femme. Ce n est pas sa femme, c est sa concubine. Entretenir, avoir une concubine …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • concubine — CONCUBINE. s. f. Celle qui n estant point mariée avec un homme, vit avec luy comme si elle estoit sa femme. Ce n est pas sa femme, ce n est que sa concubine. entretenir, ou avoir une concubine …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Concubine — Con cu*bine, n. [F., fr. L. concubina; con + cubare to lie down, concumbere to lie together, akin to E. cubit.] 1. A woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife; a paramour. [1913 Webster] Note: Concubine has been sometimes, but rarely,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • concubine — Concubine, Concubina, Pallaca. Concubine d un homme marié, Pellex, pellicis …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • concubine — c.1300, from L. concubina (fem.), from concumbere to lie with, to lie together, to cohabit, from com with (see COM (Cf. com )) + cubare to lie down (see CUBICLE (Cf. cubicle)). Recognized by law among polygamous peoples as a secondary wife …   Etymology dictionary

  • concubine — ► NOUN 1) chiefly historical (in polygamous societies) a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives. 2) archaic a mistress. ORIGIN Latin concubina, from con with + cubare to lie …   English terms dictionary

  • concubine — [kän′kyo͞o bīn΄, käŋ′kyo͞o bīn΄] n. [ME < OFr concubin(e) < L concubina (masc. concubinus) < concumbere, to lie with < com , with + cubare, to lie down: see CUBE1] 1. Law a woman who cohabits with a man although not legally married to …   English World dictionary

  • Concubine — Statue de Yang Guifei (719 756), concubine favorite de l empereur Tang Xuanzong Concubine est un terme désignant à l origine une femme vivant quasi maritalement avec un homme de statut plus élevé possédant déjà une épouse officielle et une ou… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Concubine Qi — Consort Qi redirects here. For the Qing Dynasty imperial consort, see Consort Qi (Qing Dynasty). Concubine Qi Spouse Emperor Gaozu of Han Issue Liu Ruyi, Prince of Zhao Died 194 BC Concubine Qi (戚姬, pinyin qì ji) (died 194 BC), also known as Lady …   Wikipedia

  • concubine — n. 1) to have, keep a concubine 2) by one s concubine (he had many children by his concubines) * * * [ kɒŋkjʊbaɪn] keep a concubine to have by one s concubine (he had many children by his concubines) …   Combinatory dictionary

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