1. (in former times) the separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants: "we were invited into the harem in the rear of the house"
▪ the women occupying a harem; the wives (or concubines) of a polygamous man: "the Maharaja of Delhi had a very fine harem of 18 young and nubile wives"
▪ a group of female animals sharing a single mate: "the dominant bulls gather a harem of anything from two to ten cows"
▪ a group of women perceived as centering around a particular man:"rich men with their extensive harems of buxom blondes"
Word Originmid 17th century: from Arabic ḥaram, ḥarīm, literally ‘prohibited, prohibited place’ (hence ‘sanctuary, women's quarters, women’), from ḥarama ‘be prohibited’. Compare with haram.