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harem

Syllabification: (har·em)

Translate harem | into German | into Italian
Definition of harem

noun

  • (in former times) the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants.
  • the women occupying a harem; the wives (or concubines) of a polygamous man.
  • a group of female animals sharing a single mate.
  • chiefly derogatory a group of women perceived as centering around a particular man:rich men with their extensive harems of buxom blondes

Origin:

mid 17th century: from Arabic ḥaram, ḥarīm, literally 'prohibited, prohibited place' (hence 'sanctuary, women's quarters, women'), from ḥarama 'be prohibited'. Compare with haram

harem in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of harem in the British & World English dictionary
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