Middle English Dictionary Entry
concūbīn(e n.
Entry Info
| Forms | concūbīn(e n. Also concupine. |
| Etymology | OF concubine, -in & L concubīna, -īnus. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Concubine or paramour [sanctioned or tolerated in custom or law, as among the Hebrews, the Romans, and in Western Europe during the early Middle Ages]; (b) a male concubine, a lover; (c) a mistress.
Associated quotations
a
- c1325(c1300) Glo.Chron.A (Clg A.11)630 : Hire louerdes concubine & ire doȝter auerne heo..adreinte hom boþe tuo.
- (c1375) Chaucer CT.Mk.(Manly-Rickert)B.3389 : His wyf, hise lordes, and hise concubynes Ay dronken..Out of thise noble vessels sondry wynes.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)7.4495 : [Solomon] the myhti god forsok, Ayein the lawe whanne he tok Hise wyves and hise concubines Of hem that weren Sarazines.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)8.2693 : And ther me thoghte I myhte se The king David with Bersabee..an hundred..Of wyves and of Concubines, Juesses bothe and Sarazines.
- a1400(a1325) Cursor (Vsp A.3)8887 : O quens had he hundrets seuen; Thre hundret concubins [Trin-C: lemmons]..Efter þe laghes war in þaa dais.
- c1400(?c1380) Cleanness (Nero A.10)1353 : [Baltazar] hade a wif..And moni a lemman, never þe later..In þe clernes of his concubines..Al watz þe mynde of þat man.
- a1425(c1395) WBible(2) (Roy 1.C.8)Gen.25.6 : He ȝaf ȝiftis to the sones of concubyns [WB(1): secoundarye wyues].
- a1425(a1400) Paul.Epist.(Corp-C 32)1 Cor.7.2 : Ylke man hafe his wyfe, not an oþer, nor concubyne.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)6.1911 : Thretti bastardis born of concubynes.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)468 : Concubyne, þe womann: Concubina, amasia.
- (a1460) Bokenham Sts. (Adv Abbotsford B3)110.151 (v.2:p.170) : Petie .. with his prechyng .. conuertid four concubynes of Agrippa the prefect, and .. thei forsoken hym and wolde no more comment at hym.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)6.337 : Lodowicus, the kynge of Fraunce, willynge to leve his lawefulle wife for Waldrada, a concubyne..Nicholaus the pope..sende into Fraunce Arsemus his apocrifary [etc.].
- c1475-a1600(a1473) Fortescue Declaration (Clermont)526 : The sayd Edmunde Irenesyde was a basterd goten by Kynge Ethelrede..vppon his concupyne called Algeua.
b
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)3.4574 : She imagynede his destruccioun, Because she hadde another concubyne On whom she sette al hir affeccioun.
- (1440) PParv.(Hrl 221)468 : Concubyne, the manne: Amasius.
c
- (c1387-95) Chaucer CT.Prol.(Manly-Rickert)A.650 : He wolde suffre for a quart of wyn A good felawe to haue his concubyn A twelf monthe.
- ?a1425 Const.Masonry(1) (Roy 17.A.1)p.266 : Thou schal not by thy maystres wyf ly..Ny by thy felows concubyne.
- c1450 Alph.Tales (Add 25719)310/3 : A prestis concubyne.
- ?a1475(?a1425) Higd.(2) (Hrl 2261)7.433 : He prohibite prestes to have wyfes or concubynes.