concubine en · NOUN
Pronunciation
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.
Meanings
- A sexual partner, especially a woman, to whom one is not or cannot be married.
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A woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife.
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.
c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
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(historical) A slave-girl or woman, kept for instance in a harem, who is held for sexual service.
He ſhall be made a chaſte and luſtleſſe Eunuch, And in my Sarell tend my Concubines:
c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii: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.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Judges 20:4–6:Solomon, who was one of the Deity's favorities, had a copulation cabinet composed of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.
c. 1909, Mark Twain, “Letter VIII”, in Letters from the Earth:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| concubines | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
concubinal · concubinary · concubinage · mancubine
Relateds
harem · co-wife · seraglio · polygamy
Synonyms
paramour · leman · mate · sexual partner · strumpet · wifelet · side ting · domestic partner · goomah · bedmate · side bitch · odalisque · side piece · hookup · dulcinea · wench · side chick · root · mistress · mistress · fuck · number two · bedfellow · bit on the side · lover · doxy · minx · cohabitant · sprunk · loon · cohabitor · sprunk · concubine · sex partner
Translations (69)
mnc ᡤᡠᠸᡝᠯᡝᡴᡠ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · vi vợ lẻ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · fi jalkavaimo (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · grc παλλακή (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · hu ágyas (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · fr concubine (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ja 妾 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · tl kabit (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · vi nàng hầu (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cy cywelyes (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · grc παλλακίς (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cy gordderch (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · es concubina (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · he פִּילֶגֶשׁ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · bg нало́жница (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pt barregã (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ca concubina (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · yo àlè (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la amīca (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · syc ܕܪܘܟܬܐ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · eo kromvirino (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · gv colhiabbagh (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ru нало́жница (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · sk konkubína (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · el παλλακίδα (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pl konkubina (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · sw suria (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · be нало́жніца (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pl nieślubna (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ja 側室 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pl konkubentka (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · hy հարճ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ga bean luí (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · mnc ᠠᠰᡳᡥᠠᠨ ᠰᠠᡵᡤᠠᠨ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cmn 姨太太 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la amāsia (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · hi उपपत्नी (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · mk наложница (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ko 첩 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · uk нало́жниця (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pt concubina (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · sh konkubina (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · tl kalaguyo (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la concubīna (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ar سُرِّيَة (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cmn 側室 /侧室 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cmn 妾 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ga bean leapa (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · bcl sambay (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · de Konkubine (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · sh конкубина (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · th (พระ~)สนม (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · sv konkubin (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · hi रखैल (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la paelex (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la coniūnx (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · id selir (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cs konkubína (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · nn konkubine (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · oge ხარჭი (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cmn 妃 (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · pt amásia (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · da konkubine (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · cy gordderchwraig (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ru содержа́нка (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · nb konkubine (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · ja めかけ (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · eu ohaide (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife) · la pallaca (a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife)