eu·nuch (y  n k)
n.
1. A castrated man employed as a harem attendant or as a functionary in certain Asian courts.
2. A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
3. Informal An ineffectual, powerless, or unmasculine man.
[Middle English eunuk, from Latin eun
 chus, from Greek eunoukhos : eun , bed + -okhos, keeping (from ekhein, to keep; see segh- in Indo-European roots).]
eu
nuch·ism n.
Word History: The word eunuch does not derive, as one might think, from the operation that produced a eunuch but rather from one of his functions. Eunuch goes back to the Greek word eunoukhos, "a castrated person employed to take charge of the women of a harem and act as chamberlain." The Greek word is derived from eun
, "bed," and ekhein, "to keep." A eunuch, of course, was ideally suited to guard the bedchamber of women. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
eunuch [ˈjuːnək]
n
1. (Business / Professions) a man who has been castrated, esp (formerly) for some office such as a guard in a harem
2. Informal an ineffective man a political eunuch
[via Latin from Greek eunoukhos attendant of the bedchamber, from eunē bed + ekhein to have, keep]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003
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eu•nuch (ˈyu nək)
n.
a castrated man, esp. one formerly employed by Oriental rulers as a harem guard or palace official.
[1350–1400; Middle English eunuk < Latin eunūchus < Greek eunoûchos=eun(ḗ) bed + -ouchos, variant of -ochos, n. derivative of échein to keep, have]
eu′nuch•ism, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  eunuch - a man who has been castrated and is incapable of reproduction; "eunuchs guarded the harem"
adult male, man - an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman); "there were two women and six men o
|
