zenana
3 synonyms for zenana, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The part of a house or palace kept for the women of a wealthy family, or those women themselves.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The part of a house or palace kept for the women of a wealthy family, or those women themselves.
“Out of the blue, the chief eunuch of the zenana appears.”
3. noun
(informal, vulgar) The passive partner in sex between men, especially one seen as effeminate.
Etymology
Zenana comes from Hindi ज़नाना (zanānā) and Urdu زنانه (zanānah), which go back to Classical Persian زنانه (zanāna, “womanly”), from زن (zan, “woman”). It is related to Old English cwene (“woman”) — see quean for more.
Full origin of zenana →