Definitions for eunuch
ˈyu nəkeu·nuch

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:4.0 / 1 vote

1. eunuch, castratenoun

   a man who has been castrated and is incapable of reproduction

   "eunuchs guarded the harem"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. eunuchnoun

   A castrated human male.

2. eunuchnoun

   A sterilized human female (cf. The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer).

3. eunuchnoun

   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.

4. Etymology: Borrowed from eunuchus, originally from εὐνοῦχος, from εὐνή + ἔχω. Originally probably used to refer to a bed chamber attendant.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. EUNUCHnoun

   One that is castrated or emasculated.

   Etymology: ἔυνουχος.

   He hath gelded the commonwealth, and made it an eunuch. William Shakespeare, Henry VI. p. ii.

   It hath been observed by the ancients, that much of Venus doth dim the sight; and yet eunuchs, which are unable to generate, are nevertheless also dimsighted. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

   So charm’d you were, you ceas’d awhile to doat
   On nonsense gargl’d in an eunuch’s throat. Elijah Fenton.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Eunuch

   A eunuch ( YOO-nək) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function.The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium BCE. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, for espionage or clandestine operations, castrato singers, concubines, or sexual partners, religious specialists, soldiers, royal guards, government officials, and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could, in theory, give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impart de facto power on the formally humble but trusted servant. Similar instances are reflected in the humble origins and etymology of many high offices. Eunuchs supposedly did not generally have loyalties to the military, the aristocracy, or a family of their own (having neither offspring nor in-laws, at the very least). They were thus seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private "dynasty". Because their condition usually lowered their social status, they could also be easily replaced or killed without repercussion. In cultures that had both harems and eunuchs, eunuchs were sometimes used as harem servants.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. eunuch

   A eunuch is a man who has been castrated, typically early enough in his life to prevent the development of typical male secondary sexual characteristics. Historically, eunuchs often occupied significant positions in society, particularly in royal and noble courts, as they were considered safe to be around women due to their inability to reproduce. The term is also used metaphorically to describe a person who lacks effectiveness or power.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Eunuchnoun

   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

2. Eunuchverb

   alt. of Eunuchate

3. Etymology: [L. eunuchus, Gr. , prop., keeping or guarding the couch; couch, bed, + to have, hold, keep.]

WikidataRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Eunuch

   A eunuch is a man who may have been castrated, typically early enough in his life for this change to have major hormonal consequences. Less commonly, in translations of ancient texts, "eunuch" may refer to a man who is not castrated but who is impotent, celibate, or otherwise not inclined to marry and procreate. Most eunuchs who are castrated before puberty are not sexual. Castration was typically carried out on the soon-to-be eunuch without his consent in order that he might perform a specific social function; this was common in many societies. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 21st century BC. Over the millennia since, they have performed a wide variety of functions in many different cultures: courtiers or equivalent domestics, treble singers, religious specialists, government officials and guardians of women or harem servants. Eunuchs would probably be servants or slaves who, because of their function, had been castrated, usually in order to make them reliable servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence. Seemingly lowly domestic functions—such as making the ruler's bed, bathing him, cutting his hair, carrying him in his litter, or even relaying messages—could in theory give a eunuch "the ruler's ear" and impart de facto power on the formally humble but trusted servant. Similar instances are reflected in the humble origins and etymology of many high offices. Eunuchs supposedly did not generally have loyalties to the military, the aristocracy, nor to a family of their own, and were thus seen as more trustworthy and less interested in establishing a private 'dynasty'. Because their condition usually lowered their social status, they could also be easily replaced or killed without repercussion. In cultures that had both harems and eunuchs, eunuchs were sometimes used as harem servants or seraglio guards.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Eunuch

   ū′nuk, n. a castrated man—often employed as chamberlain in the East.—v.t. Eu′nuchate.—n. Eu′nuchism, the state of being a eunuch. [Gr. eunouchos—eunē, a couch, echein, to have charge of.]

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1. • Man

How to pronounce eunuch?

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How to say eunuch in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of eunuch in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of eunuch in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of eunuch in a Sentence

1. John Updike:

   To say that war is madness is like saying that sex is madness: true enough, from the standpoint of a stateless eunuch, but merely a provocative epigram for those who must make their arrangements in the world as given.

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References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=eunuch
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Eunuch
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=eunuch
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eunuch
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=eunuch
8. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=eunuch