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Concubine or Consort - What's the difference?

concubine | consort |

As nouns the difference between consort and concubine

is that consort is the spouse of a monarch while concubine is a woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife.

As a verb consort

is to associate or keep company.

As a proper noun Consort

is a village in Alberta, Canada.

concubine

English

(concubinage)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A woman who lives with a man, but who is not a wife.
  • A slave-girl for sexual service prominent in all ancient cultures.
  • Signifies a relationship where the male is the dominant partner, socially and economically
  • A woman attached to a man solely for reproduction, and who cares for the resulting children without any romantic relationship.
  • a woman residing in a harem and kept, as by a sultan or emperor, for sexual purposes.
  • A woman kept by a man who is high in hierarchial society in addition to his wives, e.g in the imperial harem or within a household.

    • Derived terms

    * concubinage

    See also

    * harem * polygamy * co-wife * seraglio

    References

    * Random House Unabridged Dictionary ----

    consort

    English

    Noun

  • The spouse of a monarch.
  • A husband, wife, companion or partner.
  • * Dryden
    • He single chose to live, and shunned to wed, / Well pleased to want a consort of his bed.
  • * Thackeray
    • The consort of the queen has passed from this troubled sphere.
  • * Darwin
    • the snow-white gander, invariably accompanied by his darker consort
  • A ship accompanying another.
  • (uncountable) Association or partnership.
  • * Atterbury
    • Take it singly, and it carries an air of levity; but, in consort with the rest, has a meaning quite different.
  • A group or company, especially of musicians playing the same type of instrument.
  • * Spenser
    • In one consort there sat / Cruel revenge and rancorous despite, / Disloyal treason, and heart-burning hate.
  • * Herbert
    • Lord, place me in thy consort .
  • (obsolete) Harmony of sounds; concert, as of musical instruments.
  • * Spenser
    • To make a sad consort , / Come, let us join our mournful song with theirs.
    (Milton)

    Synonyms

    * companion, escort * (sense) association, partnership * (group of musicians) band, group

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To associate or keep company.
  • * 1961 , J. A. Philip, "Mimesis in the Sophistês'' of Plato," ''Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association , vol. 92, p. 457,
    • Being itself inferior and consorting with an inferior faculty it begets inferior offspring.
  • To be in agreement.
  • To associate or unite in company with.
  • * Dryden
    • Which of the Grecian chiefs consorts with thee?

    Synonyms

    * (associate or keep company) hang out (slang) * (be in agreement) agree, concur * (associate or unite in company with) associate, hang out (slang)

    Anagrams

    * English heteronyms ----