eunuch
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eu·nuch
(yo͞o′nək)n.
1. A castrated man, traditionally employed as a harem attendant or as a functionary in certain Asian courts.
2. Often Offensive A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
3. Derogatory An ineffectual or powerless man.
[Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunūchus, from Greek eunoukhos : eunē, bed + -okhos, keeping (from ekhein, to keep; see segh- in Indo-European roots).]
eu′nuch·ism n.
Word History: Eunuch goes back to the Greek word eunoukhos, "a castrated male employed to serve the women in the women's quarters of a household and to act as chamberlain," and the Greek word is derived from eunē, "bed," and ekhein, "to hold, to keep." A eunuch is a "bed-keeper," so to speak. To avoid suspicion about the parentage of their children, upper-class men in many ancient societies would post eunuchs to guard and serve in the bedchambers of the women of their households. Nowadays, when the word eunuch is mentioned outside of discussions of history and ancient customs, it is mostly used metaphorically, in the sense "an ineffectual man." In ancient times, however, the eunuchs who served powerful people were often far from being ineffectual. Since they were privy to the personal lives of ruling families and had the opportunity to acquire politically and financially useful information, some eunuchs amassed enormous personal fortunes and rose to positions of great power and responsibility.
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.
eunuch
(ˈjuːnək)n
1. (Professions) a man who has been castrated, esp (formerly) for some office such as a guard in a harem
2. informal an ineffective man: a political eunuch.
[C15: via Latin from Greek eunoukhos attendant of the bedchamber, from eunē bed + ekhein to have, keep]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
eu•nuch
(ˈyu nək)n.
a castrated man, esp. one formerly employed by Oriental rulers as a harem guard or palace official.
[1350–1400; Middle English eunuk < Latin eunūchus < Greek eunoûchos=eun(ḗ) bed + -ouchos, variant of -ochos, n. derivative of échein to keep, have]
eu′nuch•ism, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  eunuch - a man who has been castrated and is incapable of reproduction; "eunuchs guarded the harem"adult male, man - an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman); "there were two women and six men on the bus" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
eunuch
eunukki
castraateunuch
eunuchkastrat
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
eunuch
n → Eunuch m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
eu·nuch
n. eunuco, hombre castrado.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
eunuch
n eunucoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.