Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A castrated man employed as a harem attendant or as a functionary in certain Asian courts.
- n. A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
- n. Informal An ineffectual, powerless, or unmasculine man.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. In the East, a chamberlain; a keeper of the bedchamber, or of the women in a large or polygamous household: an office generally (and in the latter case always) held by castrated men, and often bringing to its holders in princely houses great political influence.
- n. Hence, in general Any castrated male of the human species.
- Unproductive; barren.
- To make a eunuch of; castrate, as a man.
Wiktionary
- n. also used figuratively A castrated human male.
- n. also used figuratively A sterilized human female (cf. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer).
- n. Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court or state officials.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A male of the human species castrated; commonly, one of a class of such persons, in Oriental countries, having charge of the women's apartments. Some of them, in former times, gained high official rank.
- v. To make a eunuch of; to castrate. as a man.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a man who has been castrated and is incapable of reproduction
Etymologies
- Borrowed from Latin eunuchus, originally from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoukhos), from εὐνή (eunē, "bed") + ἔχω (ekhō, "I have, keep"). Originally probably used to refer to a bed chamber attendant. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English eunuk, from Latin eunūchus, from Greek eunoukhos : eunē, bed + -okhos, keeping (from ekhein, to keep). (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The term eunuch is used in India to describe transvestites, transsexuals and others who identify themselves as neither male nor female but as a members of a third gender.”
“The term eunuch, or hijra, is used in India to describe transvestites, transsexuals and others who identify themselves as neither male nor female but as a member of a third gender.”
“The book arrives as a museum dedicated to eunuchs, built around the tomb of a 16th century eunuch, is undergoing a major expansion.”
“As they were talking, there came an eunuch from the Commander of the Faithful, in quest of Kut al-Kulub, for, when he knew that she was in the house of Ibn al-Kirnas, he could not endure the severance, but bade bring her forthwith.”
“But as the jealous and dissolute temperament of the East required this charge to be in the hands of persons who had been deprived of their virility, the word eunuch came naturally to denote persons in that condition.”
“When he had made an end of eating, he called the eunuch, who washed his hands.”
“So he called the eunuch and bade him go forthright to his Vizier and bid him assemble the whole of the troops and cause them don their arms and mount their horses.”
“The eunuch is baptized in the name of Christ, v. 36-38.”
Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume VI (Acts to Revelation)
“The modern meaning of the word eunuch is a castrated male.”
“Dodge couldn’t catch all of Albright’s response to that, but he picked up the word eunuch, which pissed him off.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘eunuch’.
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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tr(eu)th and goodness
eu-
- “good, well,†-- from the Greek.
- in science, describes that which is “true, genuineâ€euchromatin, eucalyptus, eucaryote, eu-, euphemism, eutrophy, eunoia, euphobia, euphoria, eurotophobia, euphony, euploidy and 31 more...
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The Decemberists for polite everyday ...
opal, dolor, lithe, infanta, vagabond, courtesan, vestry, skein, dram, magenta, camisole, charlemagne and 8 more...
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miscellany
extrapolate, effluvium, maelstrom, ecclesiastic, potentiate, prestidigitation, verisimilitude, innocuous, octogenarian, interlocutor, proselytize, ubiquitous and 138 more...
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reginaterra's Words
purl, blow, squish, andean, generality, adaptation, lush, pack, filter, acquiesce, abstraction, sweet and 508 more...
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know-it-all
eunuch, couvade, ecclesiastes, enigma, inevitable, crucible, genteel, bedlam, baculum, scapulimancy, atrophy, smut and 170 more...
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Professional Scrabble Lexicon (TWL)
A myriad of game-changing words every Scrabble addict must have in his arsenal.
Keep in mind that these are all tried-and-true feasibly playable words selected for their handiness, i.e...paragon, pignora, ganef, suttee, origan, ohia, aioli, abasement, lehr, mho, tallow, harelike and 843 more...
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kewpid's Words
moleskine, araldite, dessicate, cellar door, grotesque, fallacy, vendetta, raindrop, panacea, ethereal, hircus, treppenwitz and 446 more...
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stpeter's Words
abase, abasement, abashed, abdicate, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abhorrent, abide, abject, ablation, abnegation and 3536 more...
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wordsmith III: revenge of wordie
sedimentary, igneous, segment, surfeit, unctuous, magma, garble, ransack, concubine, coincide, metamorphic, clastic and 208 more...
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Archaic Occupations
Some of these professions still exist today but the word for them has changed; some (mason or boatswain, for example), are still in use but are included for their rich historical associations. Som...
yeoman, summoner, chandler, ostler, carter, chapman, slaver, mason, cordwainer, cooper, glazier, dyer and 187 more...
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Valse's Words
fastidious, fervent, bellicose, personification, onomatopoeia, burly, concomitant, tempura, serendipity, pecuniary, foment, chum and 418 more...
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Ulysses
This is a list of the more difficult English words found in James Joyce's Ulysses. It will continually be updated as I read along. The list is in reverse chronological order, meaning that the last ...
equine, untonsured, corpuscle, prelate, parapet, dactyl, jejune, lancet, jalap, barbican, valise, dewsilky and 377 more...
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Go Team Venture!
blacula, guild, calamitous, sovereign, superscience, speedsuit, triad, necromancer, alchemist, monarch, henchmen, cocoon and 17 more...
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brady9's Words
bouffant, ointment, whatnot, nevermore, oriole, goo, mimosa, dishcloth, reliquary, errant, ostentatious, requisite and 58 more...
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Swearwords [NSFW]
Favorite things to call people that piss me off or to shout out when enraged. Not all of them are actual swearwords.
fuck, fucking, shit, idiot, motherfucker, cocksucker, bitch, whore, moron, dickhead, douche, douchebag and 44 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for eunuch.
madmouth According to mythic martial arts films of the early 90s, they're evil, immaculately turned out, and extremely likely to take over your empire/wife. Apr 15, 2009