Natalie Angier
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In a Muslim household, a harem is a part of a house set apart for women and from which nonfamily males are excluded. Harems existed in the pre-Islamic civilizations of the Middle East and in the courts of pre-Islamic Assyria, Persia, and Egypt. The harem was also found in the courts of China and Japan as well as in India and southeast Asia. Large harems for wives and concubines were common in wealthy Arab households into the 20th century; the great harem of the Turkish sultans (15th–20th century) contained several hundred women, guarded by eunuchs. By the later 20th century, the full harem system remained only among conservative elements of Arab society.
Examples of harem in a Sentence
Emese MacZko, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Lex’s bad-guy crew raids the hero’s Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica and discovers a hidden message from his mom and dad telling him to use his powers to take over Earth and even have a harem of wives.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Every red-blooded American male has no doubt fantasized about what went on in Hugh Hefner’s bedroom with his harem of blond bombshells.
—Alex Apatoff, People.com, 3 May 2025
And maybe there will be another old gobbler and his harem, and the challenge of yet another spring hunt.
—Larry Dablemont, Outdoor Life, 5 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Harem.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harem. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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harem
noun
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