harem

[ hair-uhm, har- ]
See synonyms for harem on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the part of a Muslim palace or house reserved for the residence of women.

  2. the women in a Muslim household, including the mother, sisters, wives, concubines, daughters, entertainers, and servants.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

Origin of harem

1
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”
  • Sometimes ha·ram, ha·rim; ha·reem [huh-reem] /həˈrim/ .

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use harem in a sentence

  • Mitchell is also a fundamentalist Mormon who had his eye on the then-14-year-old Smart to be the first of a harem of wives.

    Polygamist Courtroom Circus | Carol McKinley | July 29, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • harem pants were a well-tailored sport jacket compared to jeggings.

    The Trend from Hell | Rebecca Dana | January 14, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • A harem's a bo'd'n-house, I reck'n.  Mos' likely dey has rackety times in de nussery.

    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete | Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
  • When she stepped past the nodding eunuchs who were standing guard at the harem entrance, she felt a little quiver.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • I shall in time grow sleepy, fat, and in a poor way contented; for such is the manner of the harem.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • When Iftikhar returned to El Halebah, the fire had utterly destroyed the wing of the palace containing the harem.

    God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
  • On this harem he spent a hundred million francs, or twenty million dollars.

British Dictionary definitions for harem

harem

hareem (hɑːˈriːm)

/ (ˈhɛərəm, hɑːˈriːm) /


noun
  1. the part of an Oriental house reserved strictly for wives, concubines, etc

  2. a Muslim's wives and concubines collectively

  1. a group of female animals of the same species that are the mates of a single male

Origin of harem

1
C17: from Arabic harīm forbidden (place)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012