CONCUBINE • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Concubine

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/kˈɑnkjəbˌaɪn/ Listen

noun

Concubine n.

A woman who cohabits with a man without being his wife; a paramour. Note: Concubine has been sometimes, but rarely, used of a male paramour as well as of a female.

A wife of inferior condition; a lawful wife, but not united to the man by the usual ceremonies, and of inferior condition. Such were Hagar and Keturah, the concubines of Abraham; and such concubines were allowed by the Roman laws. Their children were not heirs of their father.

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Etymology of 'Concubine'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Concubine" Quotes from Famous Books

... weight. Or perhaps "arlwydd pwys" means "the legitimate lord," in opposition to usurpers, just as a wedded wife is styled "gwraig bwys," as distinguished from a concubine. ...

— Y Gododin - A Poem on the Battle of Cattraeth • Aneurin

... daring my affront. Then swoll'n with pride into the snare I fell Of fair fallacious looks, venereal trains, Softn'd with pleasure and voluptuous life; At length to lay my head and hallow'd pledge Of all my strength in the lascivious lap Of a deceitful Concubine who shore me Like a tame Weather, all my precious fleece, Then turn'd me out ridiculous, despoil'd, Shav'n, and disarm'd among my ...

— The Poetical Works of John Milton • John Milton

... the public may not be mistaken as to their real father, the merchant received a sum of money to establish himself at Brescia, and has not seen his wife for these two years past. General Gourion, who was last spring in Italy, has assured me that he read the advertisement of a curate after his concubine, who had eloped with another curate; and that the Police Minister at Milan openly licensed women to be the housekeepers ...

— The Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte • Bourrienne, Constant, and Stewarton

... Although Louis was sincerely disposed to assist James effectually, his intentions were obstructed by the disputes of his ministry. Louvois possessed the chief credit in council; but Seignelai enjoyed a greater share of personal favour, both with the king and madame de Maintenon, the favourite concubine. To this nobleman, as secretary for marine affairs, James made his chief application; and he had promised the command of the troops destined for his service to Latisun, whom Louvois hated. For these reasons this minister thwarted his measures, and retarded the assistance which Louis ...

— The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.II. - From William and Mary to George II. • Tobias Smollett

... Yoshitomo by his wife, he had also three sons by a concubine named Tokiwa. She was a woman of great beauty, and for that reason as well as because she was the mother of the romantic hero Yoshitsune, she has often been chosen by Japanese artists as the subject of their pictures. Tokiwa and her three children, of ...

— Japan • David Murray

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