eunuch

American  

[yoo-nuhk] / ˈju nək /

noun

• eunuchs
  plural

1. a castrated man, especially one formerly employed by rulers in the Middle East and Asia as a harem guard or palace official.

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eunuch British  

/ ˈjuːnək /

noun

1. a man who has been castrated, esp (formerly) for some office such as a guard in a harem

2. informal an ineffective man

   a political eunuch

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• eunuchs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of eunuch

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunūchus, from Greek eunoûchos “eunuch, chamberlain,” equivalent to eune-, stem of eunḗ “bed, place of sleeping” + -ochos “keeping” (akin to échein “to have, hold, keep”; cf. hectic ( def. ))

Explanation

Not a word for the faint-hearted, eunuch sounds like "you nick," and if you castrate a man you make him a eunuch by...uh...nicking the testicles with a knife or scalpel and removing them. Eunuch comes from the Greek eunoukhos, meaning "bedroom guard." In history a eunuch was a man whose job was to guard the bedroom door of a royal woman to protect her. These guards were castrated to make them less threatening to the women they guarded. Later, some men underwent castration so their high voices wouldn't deepen during puberty, and these eunuch singers became famous in opera houses.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

eunuch eunuchs

Wiser and more practical than those around her, Maomao is able to play forensic detective, prevent assassination attempts, suss out political intrigue, resist an amorous eunuch and even ingest bits of poison safely.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025

Between 1405 and 1421, he dispatched Zheng He, a trusted palace eunuch, on a series of six voyages throughout the Indian Ocean.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

“There’s something about vampires as these creatures in the shadows,” said Anderson, who fans will instantly recognize as the strong and mostly silent eunuch Grey Worm from HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

From Washington Post ● Nov. 14, 2022

“The very first person baptized after Jesus’s departure is the Ethiopian eunuch, a trans person who is faithful and spreads the Gospel beyond his space,” Bishop Rohrer said.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 15, 2021

"You are a bolder man than I, my lord," the eunuch said softly.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

However, the court said Islamic law recognizes the existence of intersex people and eunuchs and said they should be entitled to all the fundamental rights provided to Pakistanis in the constitution.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2023

I was received by many eunuchs in splendid costume blazing with jewels, and carrying scimitars in their hands.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

In May, Pakistan passed new legislation guaranteeing basic rights for its estimated 500,000 transgender citizens - including intersex people, transvestites and eunuchs - and banning discrimination against them.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2018

Glass ceilings in the 16th-century Ottoman Empire were made of cut stone, secured by iron locks, ringed with imposing walls and guarded by armies of eunuchs.

From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2017

The bazaar had been full of running children and men shout-ing, but elsewhere she had seen only a few eunuchs going about their business.

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin