English
concubine
Concubine comes from Latin concumbō ‘to lie with’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kumbōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*cumbō‘to lie down, recline’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcumbō‘to lie with’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcubīna
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400concubine
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a concubine’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*ḱewb-reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kumbōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*cumbō‘to lie down, recline’reconstructed
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcumbō‘to lie with’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconcubīna
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400concubine
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form‘a concubine’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “He ſhall be made a chaſte and luſtleſſe Eunuch,…”
first attested From Middle English concubine (first attested 1250–1300), from Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubīna, equivalent to concub- (variant stem of concumbō (“to lie together”)) + feminine suffix -īna (as stated in the etymology)
The story
From Middle English concubine (first attested 1250–1300), from Anglo-Norman concubine, from Latin concubīna, equivalent to concub- (variant stem of concumbō (‘to lie together’)) + feminine suffix -īna.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb-
hip, cove, incumbent, cubicle, hobble, shoop, succubus, incubus, incubate, cubit, 13 more
through Latin *cumbō ‘to lie down, recline’
Today it means
noun A sexual partner, especially a woman, to whom one is not or cannot be married.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- / concubine