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harem

har·em
H h

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [hair-uh m, har-]
    • /ˈhɛər əm, ˈhær-/
    • /ˈhɑː.riːm/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [hair-uh m, har-]
    • /ˈhɛər əm, ˈhær-/

Definitions of harem word

  • noun harem the part of a Muslim palace or house reserved for the residence of women. 1
  • noun harem the women in a Muslim household, including the mother, sisters, wives, concubines, daughters, entertainers, and servants. 1
  • noun harem 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. 1
  • noun harem 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. 1
  • noun 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 because it implies that the man collects women like objects. 1
  • noun harem The separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of harem

First appearance:

before 1625
One of the 42% oldest English words
First recorded in 1625-35, harem is from the Arabic word harīm harem, literally, forbidden

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Harem

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

harem popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 91% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

harem usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for harem

noun harem

  • purdah — the seclusion of women from the sight of men or strangers, practiced by some Muslims and Hindus.
  • seraglio — the part of a Muslim house or palace in which the wives and concubines are secluded; harem.
  • serai — (in Eastern countries) a caravansary.
  • zenana — the part of the house in which the women and girls of a family are secluded.
  • concubines — Plural form of concubine.

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See also

Matching words

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