Contextualizebeta

eunuch

noun
/ˈjuː.nək/

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek εὐνή (eunḗ) Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *hékʰō Ancient Greek ἔχω (ékhō) Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos)bor. Latin eunūchusder. Middle English eunuk English eunuch From Middle English eunuk, from Middle French eunuque, from Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos), from εὐνή (eunḗ, “bed”) + ἔχω (ékhō, “to have, keep”). Originally probably used to refer to a bed chamber attendant.

  1. derived from εὐνοῦχος
  2. derived from eunūchus
  3. derived from eunuque
  4. inherited from eunuk

Definitions

  1. A castrated man.

    • Semiramis was the first woman to invent eunuchs and women have had sympathy for them ever since; […] and women can tell them what they can't tell other men.

  2. Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late…

    Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court or state officials.

    • He ſhall be made a chaſte and luſtleſſe Eunuch, And in my Sarell tend my Concubines
    • I, and by heauen, one that will doe the deede, / Though Argus were her Eunuch and her garde.
    • Hence sawcy Eunuch peace, / she hath betraid me, / And shall dye the death.

  3. A man who is not inclined to marry and procreate.

  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. One that is ineffectual.

    2. To castrate.

    3. To render ineffectual.

The neighborhood

Derived

eunuched, eunuch flute, eunuchism, eunuchize, eunuchlike, eunuchry

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for eunuch. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA