HAREM
What does "HAREM" mean?
The separate part of a traditional Muslim household reserved for women, or the women living there.
Meanings
- The women's quarters of a Muslim household, historically forbidden to men outside the family. In the Ottoman palace, the harem was a world the sultan's male courtiers never entered.
- The wives and concubines of a man in a polygamous society, taken collectively. The ruler's harem numbered dozens of women.
- A group of female animals sharing a single mate during breeding season. A dominant bull elephant seal guards a harem of females on the beach. technical
Did you know?
- 'Harem' comes from the Arabic root for 'forbidden' or 'sacred' - the same root that gives 'haram' (forbidden food or acts) and the name of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Masjid al-Haram.
Word origin
From Arabic 'harīm' (something forbidden or sacred, hence the women's quarters), from the root 'ḥ-r-m' (to be forbidden), the same root behind 'haram' (forbidden) and the Mecca sanctuary al-Masjid al-Haram.
Remember it
HAREM contains the letters of HARM (H-A-R-_-M) - a fitting picture for a guarded, forbidden place.
A little poem
A door no stranger's hand may turn,
a word that means both holy and barred-
the sacred and the locked, one sound.
tercet
What it teaches
The same root can spell what we guard and what we forbid; reverence and restriction are old neighbors.
Quick facts
What does HAREM mean?
The separate part of a traditional Muslim household reserved for women, or the women living there.
Is HAREM a valid word?
Yes — HAREM is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is HAREM?
HAREM has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does HAREM come from?
From Arabic 'harīm' (something forbidden or sacred, hence the women's quarters), from the root 'ḥ-r-m' (to be forbidden), the same root behind 'haram' (forbidden) and the Mecca sanctuary al-Masjid al-Haram.
What can HAREM teach us?
The same root can spell what we guard and what we forbid; reverence and restriction are old neighbors.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.