Definition of concubine
: a woman with whom a man cohabits without being married: such asa : one having a recognized social status in a household below that of a wifeb : mistress 4a
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Examples of concubine in a Sentence
spent an exorbitant sum on furnishing living quarters for his concubine
Recent Examples of concubine from the Web
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The patriarch of Comfort — church, state and pharmaceutical industry all at once — is a philosophical fellow with a droopy mustache and a retinue of pregnant concubines.
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Empress Wu is legendary in China for using her wit, intelligence and cunning to eclipse all rivals and rise from her position as Emperor Taizong’s favorite concubine to the very apex of court life.
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When her husband returns from the Trojan War, Clytemnestra murders him and his concubine in retaliation.
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Later, Boll saved even more money by having real Romanian prostitutes play the concubines sprawling themselves over Meat Loaf.
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Later, Boll saved even more money by having real Romanian prostitutes play the concubines sprawling themselves over Meat Loaf.
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Some of them—such as Lee Puey You, who was forced by famine and filial duty to marry a man thirty years her senior, only to become his concubine—
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According to the account left by Sima Qian, the new emperor—the usurper—killed many of his father’s concubines.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'concubine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of concubine
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin concubina, from com- + cubare to lie
Other Anthropology Terms
CONCUBINE Defined for English Language Learners
concubine
playDefinition of concubine for English Language Learners
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: an unmarried woman who has sex with a man and lives with the man and his wife or wives
Learn More about concubine
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See words that rhyme with concubine Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for concubine Britannica English: Translation of concubine for Arabic speakers
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