I. noun
or ha·ram also ha·rim ˈharəm, ˈher- sometimes ˈhār-, ˈhär-, həˈrēm
( -s )
Etymology: Arabic ḥarīm harem, anything forbidden or sacred & Arabic ḥaram harem, sanctuary
1.
a. : a house or part of a house allotted to women in a Muslim household and usually designed for maximum seclusion — called also seraglio, zenana
b. : the family of wives, concubines, female relatives, and servants occupying a harem
2. : a group usually of women associated with one man
a literary lion with his harem
3. : a Muslim sacred place (as a mosque) forbidden to non-Muslims
4. : a group of females controlled by one male — used of polygamous animals (as the fur seal, pheasant, wild horse)
II. adjective
: of a style or design resembling that associated with a Turkish harem — used especially of a woman's dress having a full skirt with the lower edge gathered on a narrow band and then turned under