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eunuch

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "eunuch", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "eunuch" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "eunuch" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

eunuch is aEnglishnoun. It means: A castrated man. Pronounced /ˈjuː.nək/. Often confused with Enoch and Eunice.

Key facts for eunuch
PropertyValue
Headwordeunuch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjuː.nək/
Letters6
Frequency rank#36,134
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of eunuch in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for eunuch is 6 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈjuː.nək/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,134 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for eunuch, with forms such as "enuuch", "euncuh", and "eunnuch". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Enoch", "Eunice", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Ancient Greek εὐνή (eunḗ) Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *hékʰō Ancient Greek ἔχω (ékhō) Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos)bor. Latin eunūchusder. Middle English eunuk English eunuch From Middle English eunuk, from Middle Frenc… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is eunuch, spelled E-U-N-U-C-H, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A castrated man.
  2. 2
    Such a man employed as harem guard or in certain (mainly Eastern) monarchies (e.g. late Roman and Chinese Empires) as court or state officials.
  3. 3
    A man who is not inclined to marry and procreate.
  4. 4
    One that is ineffectual.

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek εὐνή (eunḗ) Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *hékʰō Ancient Greek ἔχω (ékhō) Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos)bor. Latin eunūchusder. Middle English eunuk English eunuch From Middle English eunuk, from Middle French eunuque, from Latin eunūchus, from Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos), from εὐνή (eunḗ, “bed”) + ἔχω (ékhō, “I have, keep”). Originally probably used to refer to a bed chamber attendant.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: enuuch,euncuh,eunnuch,eunucch,eunuchh,eunuhc,euunch,uenuch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for eunuch

Misspelling Variants of "eunuch"

enuuch6euncuh6eunnuch7eunucch7eunuchh7eunuhc6euunch6uenuch6
Misspelling Variants of "eunuch"

Frequency rank: #36,134 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "eunuch"?
"eunuch" is spelled E-U-N-U-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjuː.nək/.
What does "eunuch" mean?
As a noun, "eunuch" means: A castrated man.
What words are commonly confused with "eunuch"?
"eunuch" is commonly confused with "Enoch", "Eunice". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eunuch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eunuch" is /ˈjuː.nək/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "eunuch"?
Etymology tree Ancient Greek εὐνή (eunḗ) Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ-der. Proto-Hellenic *hékʰō Ancient Greek ἔχω (ékhō) Ancient Greek εὐνοῦχος (eunoûkhos)bor. Latin eunūchusder. Middle English eunuk English eunuch From Middle English eunuk, from Mi... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter E in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.