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30 results for: Eunuch

Dictionary Entries (11 more entries. View all »)
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)Cite This Source
eu·nuch    Audio Help   [yoo-nuhk] Pronunciation Key
–noun
a castrated man, esp. one formerly employed by Oriental rulers as a harem guard or palace official.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME eunuk < L eunūchus < Gk eunoûchos eunuch, chamberlain, equiv. to eune-, s. of eun bed, place of sleeping + -ochos keeping (akin to échein to hold]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopedia Articles (17 more entries. View all »)
Columbia Electronic EncyclopediaCite This Source


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. 
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
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