concubinage

American  

[kon-kyoo-buh-nij, kong-] / kɒnˈkju bə nɪdʒ, kɒŋ- /

noun

1. cohabitation of a man and woman without legal or formal marriage.

2. the state or practice of being a concubine.

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concubinage British  

/ kɒnˈkjuːbɪnɪdʒ /

noun

1. cohabitation without legal marriage

2. the state of living as a concubine

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Etymology

Origin of concubinage

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at concubine, -age

Example Sentences

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 itself was fairly frequent, particularly in southern Louisiana; but no frequency of purchases for it as a predominant purpose can be demonstrated from authentic records.

From American Negro Slavery A Survey of the Supply, Employment and Control of Negro Labor as Determined by the Plantation Regime by Phillips, Ulrich Bonnell

Concubinage was allowed, if a man had not a wife, and provided the concubine was not the wife of another man; this heathenish custom was abrogated by Justinian.

From Beacon Lights of History, Volume 03 Ancient Achievements by Lord, John

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

See Concubinage, Marriage, Monogamy: in Assyrian times, 134 clear evidence of, among serfs and slaves, 134 distinguished from bigamy, 134 Pregnant woman.

From Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters by Johns, C. H. W. (Claude Hermann Walter)