eu·nuch
(yo͞o′nək)n.1. A castrated man, traditionally employed as a harem attendant or as a functionary in certain Asian courts.
2. Often Offensive A man or boy whose testes are nonfunctioning or have been removed.
3. Derogatory An ineffectual or powerless man.
[Middle English
eunuk, from Latin
eunūchus, from Greek
eunoukhos :
eunē,
bed +
-okhos,
keeping (from
ekhein,
to keep; see
segh- in
Indo-European roots).]
eu′nuch·ism n.
Word History: Eunuch goes back to the Greek word eunoukhos, "a castrated male employed to serve the women in the women's quarters of a household and to act as chamberlain," and the Greek word is derived from eunē, "bed," and ekhein, "to hold, to keep." A eunuch is a "bed-keeper," so to speak. To avoid suspicion about the parentage of their children, upper-class men in many ancient societies would post eunuchs to guard and serve in the bedchambers of the women of their households. Nowadays, when the word eunuch is mentioned outside of discussions of history and ancient customs, it is mostly used metaphorically, in the sense "an ineffectual man." In ancient times, however, the eunuchs who served powerful people were often far from being ineffectual. Since they were privy to the personal lives of ruling families and had the opportunity to acquire politically and financially useful information, some eunuchs amassed enormous personal fortunes and rose to positions of great power and responsibility.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
eunuchism
(ˈjuːnəˌkɪzəm) n1. (Anthropology & Ethnology) the tradition or practice of castrating males
2. (Anthropology & Ethnology) the condition of being a eunuch
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014