word: eunuch (British Dictionary definitions for eunuch)

British Dictionary definitions for eunuch

eunuch   /ˈjuːnək/

noun

1.

a man who has been castrated, esp (formerly) for some office such as a guard in a harem

2.

(informal) an ineffective man: a political eunuch

Word Origin

C15: via Latin from Greek eunoukhos attendant of the bedchamber, from eunē bed + ekhein to have, keep

Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for eunuch

n.

late 14c., from Middle French eunuque and directly from Latin eunuchus, from Greek eunoukhos “castrated man,” originally “guard of the bedchamber or harem,” from euno-, comb. form of eune “bed,” of unknown origin, + -okhos, from stem of ekhein “to have, hold” (see scheme (n.)).

The Greek and Latin forms of the word were used to translate Hebrew saris, which sometimes meant merely “palace official,” in Septuagint and Vulgate, probably without an intended comment on the qualities of bureaucrats.

Eunuches is he þat is i-gilded, and suche were somtyme i-made wardeynes of ladyes in Egipt. [John of Trevisa, translation of Higdon’s Polychronicon, 1387]

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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word: heckle

heck·le (hkl) tr.v. heck·led, heck·ling, heck·les 1. To try to embarrass and annoy (someone speaking or performing in public) by questions, gibes, or objections; badger. 2. To comb (flax or hemp) with a hatchel. [Middle English hekelen, to comb with a hatchel, from hekel, hatchel, from Middle Dutch; see keg- in Indo-European roots.] heckler n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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heckle (ˈhɛkəl)

vb

1. to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts

2. (Mechanical Engineering) Also: hackle or hatchel to comb (hemp or flax)

n

3. (Mechanical Engineering) an instrument for combing flax or hemp

[C15: Northern and East Anglian form of hackle]

ˈheckler n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

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heck•le (ˈhɛk əl)

v.t. -led, -ling.

to harass (a public speaker, performer, etc.) with impertinent questions, gibes, or the like.

[1275–1325; Middle English hekelen, variant of hechelen to comb flax; akin to hackle¹]

heck′ler, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

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heckle – First a “flax comb” for splitting and straightening the fibers for spinning; its metaphorical sense developed from its verb form, “to mangle by cutting, to cut roughly.”

See also related terms for spinning.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.