Dictionary

harem en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ˈhæɹəm/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈhɛəɹəm/ (Canada, General-American)
• /ˈhɑːɹəm/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish حرم (harem) (whence Turkish harem), from Arabic حَرَم (ḥaram, “something prohibited; sanctuary, women”); and later also from حَرِيم (ḥarīm) with same meaning, both from حَرُمَ (ḥaruma, “be forbidden or unlawful”). Doublet of haram and herem.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) The private section of a Muslim household forbidden to male strangers.
   • "In the room next to her own, lived the harem of a merchant who had just arrived from Constantinople with merchandise. It consisted of his wife, children, and two female slaves, who being well off in their circumstances, enjoyed the comforts and conveniences of life, and eat and drank unsparingly every day." 1841, James Justinian Morier, The Mirza, volume 3, page 153:
2. (countable, uncountable) A group of someone's girlfriends, wives and/or concubines in a polygamous household.
3. (countable, uncountable) A group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male animal (bull) of that species for breeding purposes. Such behaviour is exhibited by bovids including cattle and buffalo as well as moose, elephants, seals (including elephant seals), sea lions, and baboons.
   • 2006 Maestripieri, Dario; Mayhew, Jessica; Carlson, Cindy L.; Hoffman, Christy L.; and Radtke, Jennifer M. "One-Male Harems and Female Social Dynamics in Guinea Baboons", published in Folia Primatol 2007; 78:56–68, doi 10.1159/000095686
   • I nodded my head and proceeded to make a flank attack on the nearest harem. All went well until I aimed a blow at an outlying cow's head and fell short. She snorted and tried to scramble away. I ran in close and struck another blow, hitting the shoulder instead of the head. 1904, Jack London, chapter 30, in The Sea-Wolf (Macmillan’s Standard Library), New York, N.Y.: Grosset & Dunlap, →OCLC:
4. (countable, uncountable) A group of female birds mated to or associated with a breeding male.
   • In the meantime we were hidden in a close juniper thicket on the little knoll, and expected the capercailzie cock every moment; but our old friend tarried a long time in his harem. 1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 90:
5. (countable, slang, uncountable) Any significant number of women together as a group; a bevy.
6. (uncountable) A genre of anime and manga in which a man is the love interest of three or more women.

Forms

Deriveds

reverse harem · haremlike · haremesque · haremic · harem pants · harem trousers · haremism · harem ending · harem slipper

Hyponyms

zenana (private area for wives, women thus kept)

Relateds

zenana · polygyny · concubine · seraglio · polygamy

Translations (137)

ur حَرَم سَرا (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · bn হারেম (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · vi hậu cung (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ca harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · uk гаре́м (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · mk харем (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ro harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · is kvennabúr (group of women in a polygamous household) · de Harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · sa अन्तःपुर (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · az hərəm (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ar حَرَمْلِك (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · bn অন্দরমহল (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tt хәрәм (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · nb harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · he הַרְמוֹן (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ur حَرَم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi अवरोधन (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · gl harén (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sh hárem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es serrallo (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hy հարեմ (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hu hárem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi जनानख़ाना (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ca harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · kk харамхана (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ps حرم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi रनवास (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tg ҳарамхона (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi अवरोधन (group of women in a polygamous household) · ko 후궁 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi महलसरा (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · id harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sl harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · hi हरम (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sh харѐмлук (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · kmr harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · bg харе́м (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fr zenana (group of women in a polygamous household) · bn হেরেম (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sv harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ro zenana (group of women in a polygamous household) · ar حَرِيم (group of women in a polygamous household) · be гарэ́м (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hy կանանոց (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sq harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · kk гарем (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sv harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · cy senana (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tl harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tk haremhana (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sh ха́рем (group of women in a polygamous household) · tg ҳарам (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · nl vrouwenverblijf (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · is kvennabúr (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sk hárem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi अंतःपुर (group of women in a polygamous household) · tk harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es harén (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fa-ira حَرَمسَرا (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ja ハーレム (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ps حرمسراى (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ug ھەرەمخانا (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ar حَرِيم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ru гаре́м (group of women in a polygamous household) · lt haremas (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · arz حريم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ky гарем (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · et haarem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi जनानखाना (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fr harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · fr zenana (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · nl harem (group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male) · pl harem (group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male) · ur مَحَل سَرا (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ro zenana (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · pt harém (group of women in a polygamous household) · lv harēms (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · az hərəmxana (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tr harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · ko 하렘 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ug ھەرەم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ru гаре́м (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ur حَرِیم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tr harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tr oda (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ro harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · fa-ira حَرَم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ja 後宮 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · nn harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fa-ira حَریم (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · uz haram (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · yue 後宮 /后宫 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · tg ҳарамсаро (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · cy senana (group of women in a polygamous household) · uz haramxona (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fr harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · fi haaremi (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · da harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · eo haremo (group of women in a polygamous household) · nl harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · he הרמון (group of women in a polygamous household) · fi haaremi (group of women in a polygamous household) · sh harèmluk (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · eo haremo (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es harén (group of women in a polygamous household) · el χαρέμι (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ms harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · pt harém (group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male) · egy i-p:t-O45 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · pl harem (group of women in a polygamous household) · fi haaremi (group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male) · cs harém (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · da harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · kk харам (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ka ჰარამხანა (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · th ฮาเร็ม (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · ca harem (group of female animals (cows) herded and controlled by a male) · nl harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi हरीम (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sh ха́рем (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · io haremo (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · cmn 後宮 /后宫 (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · hi हरमसरा (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · sh hárem (group of women in a polygamous household) · hi अंतःपुर (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · es serrallo (group of women in a polygamous household) · ms haram (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · pt harém (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · pl harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · arz حريم (group of women in a polygamous household) · bg харем (group of women in a polygamous household) · cs harém (group of women in a polygamous household) · de Harem (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household) · cop ⲁⲡⲉ (the private part of an Arab or Muslim Indian household)