Definition

1. Noun:
   • The state or practice of cohabiting without being legally married: "Concubinage" refers to a long-term, often socially recognized, relationship where a man and a woman live together as partners without a formal, legal marriage.
   • The historical practice of a man having a secondary, non-marital partner (a concubine): In historical and some cultural contexts, "concubinage" specifically denotes the institution where a man has a recognized, often cohabiting, female partner of lower status than a wife.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The law in that era did not recognize concubinage, granting no rights to the women involved.
  • Historical records show that concubinage was a common practice among the nobility.

Advanced Usage

• "to live in concubinage": to cohabit in a long-term relationship without legal marriage.
  • They chose to live in concubinage rather than formalize their union.

Variants and Related Words

• Concubine (n): a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives.
  • The emperor had several concubines in addition to his empress.

Synonyms

• Cohabitation: the state of living together and having a sexual relationship without being married. (Note: "Cohabitation" is a more modern, general term, while "concubinage" often carries historical or specific cultural connotations.)
• De facto marriage: a relationship that functions as a marriage without legal recognition.

Related Phrases

(This word is a noun and does not have phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(There are no common idioms directly using the word "concubinage.")

Noun

1. cohabitation without being legally married