concubine

noun

con·​cu·​bine ˈkäŋ-kyu̇-ˌbīn 

ˈkän-, 

-kyü-

: a woman with whom a man cohabits without being married: such as

a

: one having a recognized social status in a household below that of a wife

b

: mistress sense 4a

Synonyms of concubine

• mistress
• lover

Examples of concubine in a Sentence

the offspring of one of the monarch's concubines

Recent Examples on the Web

Among the 20 concubines was the woman who would became known as Malinche. — Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026

In Judges 19 a Levite and his concubine stop in their travels in Gibeah in the land of the tribe of Benjamin. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Maomao is placed in the Rear Palace, where the Emperor’s hierarchy of concubines live. — Kayti Burt, Time, 2 Apr. 2025

Some of them were married (or given as concubines) to Inca nobles, others became priestesses, and some ended up as human sacrifices. — ArsTechnica, 14 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin concubina, from com- + cubare to lie

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for concubine

• alkaline
• andesine
• anodyne
• anticline
• arginine
• asinine
• benzidine
• borderline
• byzantine
• calamine
• caroline
• centerline

Kids Definition

concubine

noun

con·​cu·​bine ˈkäŋ-kyu̇-ˌbīn 

ˈkän-

: a woman who lives with a man and in some societies has a legally recognized social status in a household below that of a wife