Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Harem

Harem (hā"rem; 277) , noun

[Arabic haram, orig., anything forbidden or sacred, from harama to forbid, prohibit.]

1.
The apartments or portion of the house allotted to females in Muslim families.
2.
The family of wives and concubines belonging to one man, in Muslim countries; a seraglio.