harem
[ hair-uhm, har- ]
/ ˈhɛər əm, ˈhær- /
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noun
the part of a Muslim palace or house reserved for the residence of women.
the women in a Muslim household, including the mother, sisters, wives, concubines, daughters, entertainers, and servants.
Animal Behavior. a social group of females, as elephant seals, accompanied or followed by one fertile male who denies other males access to the group.
Facetious: Sometimes Offensive. a group of women associated in any way with one man or household: I really resent it when our boss refers to us as his harem, though he's trying to be funny.
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Sometimes ha·ram, ha·rim; ha·reem [huh-reem] /həˈrim/ .
Origin of harem
First recorded in 1625–35; from Turkish ḥarem “female quarters,” from Arabic ḥarīm “sacred or inviolable space, sanctuary; female members of a family; harem,” literally, “forbidden,” from ḥarama “to prohibit, deny”
usage note for harem
In the meaning “a group of women associated with one man,” harem is used for humorous effect. But this sense is sometimes perceived as insulting by or to women because it implies that the man collects women like objects.
Words nearby harem
harebell, harebrained, hareem, Hare Krishna, harelip, harem, harem pants, hare's-foot, hare's-foot fern, harestail, harewood
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use harem in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for harem
harem
hareem (hɑːˈriːm)
/ (ˈhɛərəm, hɑːˈriːm) /
noun
the part of an Oriental house reserved strictly for wives, concubines, etc
a Muslim's wives and concubines collectively
a group of female animals of the same species that are the mates of a single male
Word Origin for harem
C17: from Arabic harīm forbidden (place)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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