Word Finder - eunuchs

definition

A castrated human male.

definition

Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court or state officials.

definition

(in translations of ancient texts) A man who is not inclined to marry and procreate.

With the help of the patricians and eunuchs he contrived to dethrone and exile Irene, and to be elected emperor in her stead.

Their resentment was inflamed by a powerful party, embracing the magistrates, the ministers, the favourite eunuchs, the ladies of the court, and Eudoxia the empress herself, against whom the preacher thundered daily from the pulpit of St Sophia.

Either they're huge babies you have to take care of, or they want to lock you in their palace with eunuchs.

The begum was charged with having abetted Chait Sing in his rebellion; and after the severest pressure applied to herself and her attendant eunuchs, a fine of more than a million sterling was exacted from her.

A portorium - apparently one-eighth for eunuchs, onefortieth for others - was paid on their import or expori, and a duty of 2 or 4% on their sale.

The men are said to be in appearance very like eunuchs, and both sexes have a tendency to sexual indifference amounting in the men to impotence.

The "Voyage" of Ibn-Giobair, a traveller in Sicily in 1183-1185, shows William surrounded by Moslem women and eunuchs, speaking and reading Arabic and living like "a Moslem king."

An absolute contrast to his brother, he gave himself up to a life of pleasure and allowed the administration to fall into the hands of six eunuchs.

His court was full of eunuchs, of whom we hear still more under William the Bad.

Presumably at this late period there were eunuchs in Egypt, though adequate evidence of their existence there is not yet forthcoming.

Moqtadir, though not devoid of noble qualities, allowed himself to be governed by his mother and her ladies and eunuchs.

The latter prince was the worthier of the throne, but the other better suited the policy of the eunuchs and those noblemen who had the right of election.

Wan-li, the emperor of the Ming dynasty, in those days lived in seclusion, and saw no one but his women and the eunuchs.

Among the Turks it is applied to the chief of the janissaries, to the commanders of the artillery, cavalry and infantry, and to the eunuchs in charge of the seraglio.

His wives were kept secluded in oriental fashion; a harem was maintained at Lucera, and eunuchs were a prominent feature of his household.

He then endeavoured to buy off the invaders by numerous presents-30 talents of gold, 800 talents of silver, precious stones, couches and thrones inlaid with ivory, girls and eunuchs - but all in vain.

The development of eunuchs and their power in Byzantium originated in the Emperor's and the Roman aristocracy's attachment to female chastity.