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⇱ concubine - WordReference.com Dictionary of English


concubine

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈkɒnkjʊbaɪn/

US:USA pronunciation: IPAUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈkɑŋkjəˌbaɪn, ˈkɑn-/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(kongkyə bīn′, kon-)



WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
con•cu•bine /ˈkɑŋkyəˌbaɪn, ˈkɑn-/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married.
  2. Anthropology(among peoples who allow more than one wife) a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
con•cu•bine  (kongkyə bīn′, kon-),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a woman who cohabits with a man to whom she is not legally married, esp. one regarded as socially or sexually subservient;
    mistress.
  2. Anthropology(among polygamous peoples) a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.
  3. Eastern Religions(esp. formerly in Muslim societies) a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes.
  • Latin concubīna, equivalent. to concub- (variant stem of concumbere to lie together; see con-, incumbent) + -īna feminine suffix
  • Anglo-French)
  • Middle English (1250–1300

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
concubine /ˈkɒŋkjʊˌbaɪn; ˈkɒn-/ n
  1. (in polygamous societies) a secondary wife, usually of lower social rank
  2. archaic a woman who cohabits with a man; kept woman
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French, from Latin concubīna, from concumbere to lie together, from cubare to lieconcubinary /kɒŋˈkjʊbɪnərɪ/ n , adj
'concubine' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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