Harem

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Harem

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun

Pronunciation

HAR-eem  /ˈhɑːriːm/

Definition

The separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants, traditionally forbidden to male visitors; the women living in this part of a household; in animal behaviour, a group of females associated with a single dominant male.

Plain meaning

A harem is the women's quarters of a traditional Muslim household, historically a segregated domestic space. In biology, a harem is a group of females that mates exclusively with one dominant male.

Register

The household sense carries historical, cultural, and political weight. Its Western usage is often distorted by Orientalist fantasy. The zoological sense is neutral scientific vocabulary. Care should be taken in using the word to describe actual historical or contemporary practices.