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eunuchismenUK
eu·nuch E0237800 (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.eunuchism (ˈjuːnəˌkɪzəm) n1. (Anthropology & Ethnology) the tradition or practice of castrating males2. (Anthropology & Ethnology) the condition of being a eunucheunuchism1. the process or tradition of castrating males.
2. the state of being a eunuch.See also: SexEncyclopediaSeeeunucheunuchismenUK
eu·nuch·ism (yū'nŭk-izm), 1. The state of being a eunuch; absence of the testes or failure of the gonads to develop or function with consequent lack of reproductive and sexual function and of development of secondary sex characteristics. 2. Synonym(s): eunuchoidismeu·nuch·ism (yū'nŭk-izm) The state of being a eunuch; absence of the testes or failure of the gonads to develop or function with consequent lack of reproductive and sexual function and of development of secondary sex characteristics. eunuchism (ū′nŭk-ĭzm) [ eunuch + -ism] A condition resulting from complete lack of male hormones. It may be due to atrophy or removal of the testicles. pituitary eunuchismAn obsolete term for secondary hypogonadism. LegalSeeEunuch |