Concubine
/ˈkɒŋ.kjʊ.baɪn/noun
A woman who lives with a man in a relationship resembling marriage but without being his wife.
Did you know?Its Latin roots, cum (“with”) + cubare (“to lie down”), make it part of a family of words tied to lying, reclining, and sleeping—ordinary posture turned into social power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keu̯-
“to bend, lie down, or be curved”
Latin
Latin
cum + cubāre
“with + to lie down; to lie together”
Latin
Latin
concubīna
“a woman who lives with a man as a wife but is not legally his wife”
Old French
Old French
concubine
“a kept woman or mistress”
Late Middle English
English
concubine
“a woman living with a man as his wife without being legally married to him”
Modern English
English
concubine
“a woman who lives with a man in a relationship resembling marriage but without being his wife”