concubinage
Americannoun
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cohabitation of a man and woman without legal or formal marriage.
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the state or practice of being a concubine.
noun
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cohabitation without legal marriage
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the state of living as a concubine
Etymology
Origin of concubinage
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at concubine, -age
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Concubinage fell into official disrepute in Japan in the late 19th Century when the Japanese discovered that Westerners considered it a barbaric practice.
From Time Magazine Archive
Concubinage existed, especially when the husband was long absent from home; but it was looked upon with disfavor and frequently led to unfortunate consequences, as in the cases of Phoenix and Agamemnon.
From Greek Women by Carroll, Mitchell
Concubinage, possibly introduced from China, was certainly sanctioned by the Chinese classics.
From Evolution Of The Japanese, Social And Psychic by Gulick, Sidney Lewis
Concubinage is the natural result of the Confucian theory of ancestral worship.
From Village Life in China A Study in Sociology by Smith, Arthur H.
Concubinage, which is by no means uncommon in the towns, is exceedingly uncommon in the country of Artois.
From France and the Republic A Record of Things Seen and Learned in the French Provinces During the 'Centennial' Year 1889 by Hurlbert, William Henry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
