eunuch

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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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