What does eunuchism mean?
Eunuchism is a noun denoting the state of being a eunuch — that is, a man who has been castrated or who lacks functional male sexuality, whether through surgical removal of the testes, injury, disease, or congenital condition. The word appears most often in historical and anthropological writing about court eunuchs, who served as trusted officials, harem guards, and administrators in civilizations from ancient Assyria and China to the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. In medical contexts it can describe the physiological effects of early castration, such as the absence of secondary sexual characteristics. Figuratively, eunuchism is occasionally used to suggest an enervating loss of vigor, courage, or effectiveness, though this extended sense now reads as dated. The term is formal and relatively rare in everyday speech, belonging chiefly to scholarly, literary, and clinical registers.
nounThe condition of being a eunuch, whether from castration or from a congenital absence of male sexual development. By extension, it can also denote a lack of vigor, potency, or manliness regarded as characteristic of a eunuch.
- The physical condition of being a eunuch — having been castrated or otherwise deprived of sexual function.
- Figuratively, a lack of masculine vigor or forcefulness.
"In several ancient courts, eunuchism was imposed on young boys destined for service in the royal household."
"Historical records show that eunuchism was sometimes inflicted as punishment or political safeguard in imperial courts."
"Critics accused the committee's final report of a certain eunuchism, drained of any boldness or conviction."
Rarely pluralized; the word is almost always used as an uncountable mass noun referring to the general condition.
"The physician's monograph surveyed various historical accounts of eunuchisms across different cultures."
The word traces back to Greek for 'bed-keeper' — because eunuchs guarded the bedchambers of kings and harems.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eunuchism
Eunuchism derives from 'eunuch', which comes via Latin 'eunuchus' from Greek 'euneukhos', meaning 'bed-chamber keeper' — from 'eune' (bed) and 'echein' (to hold or keep). The suffix '-ism' forms nouns denoting a condition or state, so eunuchism literally means 'the condition of being a eunuch'. Related English derivatives include the verb 'eunuchize' (to castrate or render powerless) and the adjective 'eunuchoid' (resembling a eunuch).
Related word forms
How eunuchism is actually used
Eunuchism is a formal, somewhat clinical term, encountered mainly in historical, medical, or literary writing. In figurative use it carries a strongly negative connotation of weakness or emasculation and may be considered dated or offensive by modern sensibilities.
Easily confused with eunuchism
Eugenics refers to the selective breeding of humans to improve genetic qualities, whereas eunuchism refers to the condition of being castrated or lacking sexual function.