concubine
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
con·cu·bine
(kŏng′kyə-bīn′, kŏn′-)n.
1. Law A woman who cohabits with a man without being legally married to him.
2. In certain societies, such as imperial China, a woman contracted to a man as a secondary wife, often having few legal rights and low social status.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin concubīna : com-, com- + cubāre, to lie down.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
concubine
(ˈkɒŋkjʊˌbaɪn; ˈkɒn-)n
1. (Anthropology & Ethnology) (in polygamous societies) a secondary wife, usually of lower social rank
2. a woman who cohabits with a man
[C13: from Old French, from Latin concubīna, from concumbere to lie together, from cubare to lie]
concubinary n, adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•cu•bine
(ˈkɒŋ kyəˌbaɪn, ˈkɒn-)n.
1. a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not married, esp. one regarded as socially or sexually subservient; mistress.
2. (among polygamous peoples) a secondary wife, usu. of inferior rank.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | concubine - a woman who cohabits with an important man kept woman, mistress, fancy woman - an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man odalisque - a woman slave in a harem |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
concubine
noun (Old-fashioned) mistress, courtesan, kept woman, paramour, odalisque the custom of husbands taking a concubine or an additional wife
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
Translations
حَظِيَّهزَوْجَه ثانِيَه
konkubínasouložnice
konkubinemedhustru
ágyas
hjákona
jaunesnioji žmonasugyventinė
konkubīneotra sieva
ďalšia manželkakonkubína
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
concubine
(ˈkoŋkjubain) noun1. an old word for a woman who lives with a man as his lover but is not his wife.
2. (among peoples and religions that allow men to have more than one wife) a secondary wife.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.