concubinenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈkɒŋ.kjə.baɪn/us/ˈkɑːn.kjə.baɪn/a woman who, in some societies, lives and has sex with a man she is not married to, and has a lower social rank than his wife or wives
Examples from literature
- Abstain if possible from taking a concubine.
- He had another son by a Greek concubine, whom he committed to the guardianship of a certain great admiral.
- He might marry a secondary wife, or concubine, because he was without offspring, but "the concubine", the Code lays down, "shall not rank with the wife".
- Presumably a man may have but one legitimate wife, and children by concubines must be registered as illegitimate.
- The difference between the position of the wife and that of the concubine is marked.