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eunuch
eunuch [Gr.,=keeper of the couch], castrated human male, particularly a chamberlain of a harem in Asia. The custom of employing eunuchs as servants in wealthy or royal households is very ancient; it reached its epitome at the court of Constantinople under the Byzantine emperors, from whom the Ottoman sultans adopted it. Eunuchs often rose to high position, the Byzantine general Narses being the most celebrated example. In the Muslim world the use of eunuchs was far less common than is generally believed; however, the sale of young males to be eunuchs was formerly an important element in African trade. The castrating operation, which retards the development of normal male characteristics, including the deepening of the voice, was performed with varying thoroughness and with varying success. From Constantinople spread the custom of using eunuchs in choirs. In the opera seria (see opera ) of the 18th cent. the male heroes' roles were sung by castrati, and the papal choir used castrati until the beginning of the 19th cent. A famous castrato was Carlo Broschi Farinelli . |
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"eunuch." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-eunuch.html "eunuch." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eunuch A castrated human male. Eunuchs were used as guardians of harems in ancient China and in the Persian empire of the Achaemenids and also at the courts of the Byzantine emperors and the Ottoman sultans. They became the friends and advisers of the rulers of these powers, as they did of Roman emperors. Castration was also imposed as a form of punishment (ABELARD suffered in this way); was practised voluntarily by some Christian sects (the most notable Christian eunuch being the theologian Origen); and was used to produce male adult sopranos in Italy - castrati - until Pope Leo XIII banned the practice in 1878.
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"eunuch." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-eunuch.html "eunuch." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eu·nuch / ˈyoōnək/ • n. a man who has been castrated, esp. (in the past) one employed to guard the women's living areas at an oriental court. ∎ an ineffectual person: a nation of political eunuchs. ORIGIN: Old English, via Latin from Greek eunoukhos, literally ‘bedroom guard,’ from eunē ‘bed’ + a second element related to ekhein ‘to hold.’ |
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"eunuch." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-eunuch.html "eunuch." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eunuch a man who has been castrated, especially (in the past) one employed to guard the women's living areas at an oriental court. The word is recorded from Old English, and comes via Latin from Greek enoukhos, literally ‘bedroom work’.
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "eunuch." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "eunuch." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-eunuch.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "eunuch." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
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"eunuch." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-eunuch.html "eunuch." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eunuch XV. — L. eunũchus — Gr. eunoũkhos, f. eunḗ bed; lit. ‘bedchamber guard’.
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T. F. HOAD. "eunuch." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "eunuch." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-eunuch.html T. F. HOAD. "eunuch." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eunuch (yoo-nŭk) n. a male who has undergone castration.
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"eunuch." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-eunuch.html "eunuch." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-eunuch.html |
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eunuch
eunuch
•elegiac • Newark • Lubbock
•Caradoc, haddock, paddock, shaddock
•Marduk • piddock • Norfolk • Suffolk
•charlock
•hillock, pillock
•lilac
•ballock, pollack, pollock, rowlock
•bullock • hammock
•hummock, slummock, stomach
•bannock, Zanuck
•Kilmarnock • Greenock • monarch
•eunuch
•arrack, barrack, Baruch, carrack
•cassock, hassock
•tussock • Taoiseach • mattock
•buttock, futtock
•havoc • bulwark • wazzock • Isaac
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"eunuch." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "eunuch." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-eunuch.html "eunuch." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-eunuch.html |
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