See Also: concubinage(dictionary)
concubinage(encyclopedia)
CONCUBINAGE(law)

concubinage (sh)




Cohabitation of a man and a woman without the full sanctions of legal marriage.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the term concubine has been generally applied exclusively to women; Western studies of non-Western societies use it to refer to partners who are sanctioned by law but lack the status of full wives. See also common-law marriage; harem; polygamy.