maiden means virgin. It carries an Arena rating of 1374, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, maiden ranks #797 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #960 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,733 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,877 of 17,131 for Scariest Words.
maiden is pronounced /ˈmeɪdən/.
Why “maiden” is a great word
Referring to a young unmarried woman, especially one presumed virginal, or describing that which is new, untried, or first of its kind. From Middle English mayden, meiden, from Old English mæġden ("girl"), a diminutive of mæġeþ ("girl"), from Proto-West Germanic *magaþ, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs; the figurative sense of 'new, first' is attested by the 1550s. Unlike "maidenly," which specifies a demeanor of modesty and propriety, or "virgin," which denotes a strictly physiological state, "maiden" carries the fuller weight of social condition and inaugural potential. It is the tense, hopeful quiet before a ship's first launching, the untouched page of a new ledger, and the specific, fragile gravity of a young woman's name announced for the first time at a formal ball—a word poised forever on the trembling brink of experience.
Etymology
From Middle English mayden, meiden, from Old English mæġden (“girl”), originally a diminutive of mæġeþ (“girl”) via diminutive suffix -en, from Proto-West Germanic *magaþ, from Proto-Germanic *magaþs. Equivalent to maid + -en.
adj
- Virgin.e.g.“a surprising old maiden lady” — 1857–1859, W[illiam] M[akepeace] Thackeray, The Virginians. A Tale of the Last Century, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1858–1859, →OCLC:
- Without offspring.
- Like or befitting a (young, unmarried) maiden.
- Being a first occurrence or event.e.g.“1975 was the year when West Indies won their maiden World Cup title.”
- Being an over in which no runs are scored.e.g.“He bowled a record twelve maiden overs in his spell of 8-33 in 21 overs.”
- Fresh; innocent; unpolluted; pure; hitherto unused.
- Never having been captured or violated.e.g.“Victorie forsook him for ever since he ransacked the maiden town of Magdenburg” — 1631, J. Taylor, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
- Grown from seed and never pruned.
name
- The constellation and zodiacal sign Virgo.e.g.“"'Tis the simplest thing in the world, sir," said Sheridan. "Virgo, the Maiden, follows Leo, the Lion, in society, as well as in the Zodiac."” — 1905 March 4, The Australasian, Melbourne, page 49, column 4:
- A surname.
- Iron Maiden, a heavy metal band from England.
noun
- A girl or an unmarried young woman.
- A female virgin.e.g.“She's unmarried and still a maiden.”
- A man with no experience of sex, especially because of deliberate abstention.
- A maidservant.
- A clothes maiden.
- An unmarried woman, especially an older woman.
- A racehorse without any victory, i.e. one having a "virgin record".
- A horse race in which all starters are maidens.
- A Scottish counterpart of the guillotine.
- A maiden over.
- A machine for washing linen.
- One of the triune goddesses of the Lady in Wicca alongside the Crone and Mother representing a girl or a young womane.g.“[…] different stages of life as represented by our Lady as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, as well as our Lord as Master, Father, and Sage.” — 2002, A.J. Drew, Wicca for Couples: Making Magick Together, page 90:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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