eunuch

noun

eu·​nuch ˈyü-nək 

-nik

1

: a castrated man placed in charge of a harem or employed as a chamberlain in a palace

2

: a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals

3

: one that lacks virility or power

political eunuchs

eunuchism

ˈyü-nə-ˌki-zəm 

-ni-

noun

Examples of eunuch in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Italian master director Bernardo Bertolucci cast him as the eunuch Chang in The Last Emperor, his sweeping biopic of Puyi, China's final monarch. —Ew Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025

Before there were incels, there was Charles Guiteau, who spent five years as a near-literal eunuch at the orgy that was the Oneida Community. —Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025

At Saracens, Moors, eunuchs, Ruth wondered. —Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2025

Her cleverness catches the eye of Jinshi, a beautiful eunuch who oversees the Rear Palace’s operations, and Maomao is soon promoted to lady-in-waiting and taste tester to one of the Emperor’s favorite concubines. —Kayti Burt, Time, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunuchus, from Greek eunouchos, from eunē bed + echein to have, have charge of — more at scheme entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for eunuch

• punic
• runic
• tunic

Medical Definition

eunuch

noun

eu·​nuch ˈyü-nək, -nik 

: a man or boy deprived of the testes or external genitals

eunuchism

-ˌiz-əm 

noun