CONCUBINE


Meaning of CONCUBINE in English

/kong"kyeuh buyn', kon"-/ , 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. (among polygamous peoples) a secondary wife, usually of inferior rank.

3. (esp. formerly in Muslim societies) a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan, for sexual purposes.

[ 1250-1300; ME ( concubina, equiv. to concub- (var. s. of concumbere to lie together; see CON-, INCUMBENT) + -ina fem. suffix ]

Random House Webster's Unabridged English dictionary.      Полный английский словарь Вебстер - Random House .