Word of The Day

Eunuch-  (ynk)

 

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.

eunuch·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.