virginal · adj — being or resembling a virgin.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
virginal is pronounced /ˈvɜː(ɹ)d͡ʒɪnəl/.
Why “virginal” is a great word
Relating to, characteristic of, or befitting a virgin; pure, chaste, and untouched. From Middle English virginal, from Middle French virginal, from Latin virginālis, from virgō ("maiden, virgin") + -ālis ("-al"), first attested in the late 15th century. Unlike "chaste," which speaks of willful restraint, or "vestal," which is bound to temple and vow, "virginal" describes a state of inherent, unbreached integrity. It is the unmarked page awaiting its first ink, the morning frost that has never known a footprint, the cool, sealed air of a room long abandoned—a purity not practiced but simply, fragilely, unbroken, defined not by what it resists, but by what it has never known.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English virginal, from Middle French virginal, from Latin virginālis. The musical instrument is probably so called from being played by young girls.
adj
- Being or resembling a virgin.
- Uncontaminated or pure.
- Parthenogenic.
noun
- A musical instrument in the harpsichord family.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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