Spanish Conversation · Level 22
90 words
Spanish word
harén
Pronunciation
IPA/aˈɾen/
Meaning
- masculine nounharem
Example
Su casa parece un harén.
His house seems like a harem.
More examples
En su cuenta de Instagram parece que tiene un harén de seguidores.
On his Instagram account he appears to have a harem of followers.
Core concept
Secluded living area for women within a royal or grand house.
Similar words
palacio: Large, grand residence occupied by a monarch or high-ranking noble.
concubina: Woman who lives in a ruler's household as a long-term intimate partner outside marriage.
serallo: Private inner household in Ottoman and Middle Eastern palaces where the ruler's women live.
Definition in Spanish
Espacio privado y separado dentro de palacios o grandes casas donde vivían las mujeres de la familia; por extensión, el conjunto de mujeres asociado a ese espacio.
Word origin
Derived from Arabic harīm 'protected or forbidden place', passed into French as harem and into Spanish as harén with the original sense of a women's living space.
Usage tips
- The acute accent marks stress on the second syllable (harén), and English harem without an accent can mislead about Spanish pronunciation and the historical meaning.
Opposites
- monogamiamonogamynoun