Concubine

Concubine
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, used of a male paramour as well as of a female. --Trench. [1913 Webster]

2. A wife of inferior condition; a lawful wife, but not united to the man by the usual ceremonies, and of inferior condition. Such were Hagar and Keturah, the concubines of Abraham; and such concubines were allowed by the Roman laws. Their children were not heirs of their father. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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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 — 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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