virginityn.
/vəˈdʒɪnᵻti/, /vəːˈdʒɪnᵻti/, U.S. /vərˈdʒɪnᵻdi/ 1. The condition of being or remaining in a state of chastity; abstinence from or avoidance of all sexual relations; bodily chastity, as a virtue of great commendation, or as conferring especial merit or sanctity; the mode of life characterized by this, esp. as adopted from religious motives.
a. Of persons of either sex (or without special limitation of sex).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > virginity > [noun]
maidenhoodOE
maidhooda1200
flowera1300
maidenheada1325
maidheada1393
virginitya1400
virgintyc1400
virginality?c1450
maidenliness1555
virginhead1605
virginhood1636
virgin1649
vestalship1893
society > morality > virtue > purity > chastity > [noun]
kasté13..
chastityc1305
chasteheada1325
temperance1340
continencec1380
chastenessc1386
virginitya1400
violet1412
castimony1490
continency1526
chastice1567
nunnery1654
brahmacharya1787
moral restraint1803
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 24681 Man or womman, queþer it be, þat liues in wirginite, Quat fanding þat þai fele.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvi. l. 203 Wedloke and widwehode with virgynyte ynempned, In toknynge of þe Trinite was taken oute of o man.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (1872) Prol. l. 62 Where kan ye seye in any maner age That heighe god defended mariage By expres word..Or where comanded he virgynytee.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. DDiiv Wele may virginite be compared to a flour. Nothyng is more fayre, more beutifull, ne more pleasaunt, than is virginyte.
1567 T. Palfreyman Baldwin's Treat. Morall Philos. (new ed.) vi. vii. f. 163v The first degree of chastitie, is pure virginitie: ye second faithful matrimony.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 29v Commonlie they cum home, common contemners of mariage..: not because they loue virginitie, nor yet because they hate prettie yong virgines, but [etc.].
1651 C. Cartwright Certamen Religiosum i. 174 Origen..saith that such as live in virginity, doe not that which is commanded, but above what is due.
a1711 T. Ken Psyche iv, in Wks. (1721) IV. 256 Virginity's a Heav'nly tender Grace, Connatural to the angelick Race.
1837 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe I. vi. 490 The faculty of theology at Paris..censured the Colloquies for slighting the fasts of the church, virginity, monkery, pilgrimages, and other established parts of the religious system.
1840 J. H. Newman Parochial Serm. V. vii. 103 Therefore marriage was in repute and virginity in disesteem.
1871 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) IV. xix. 422 An exaggerated reverence for virginity had been growing up in the Church from the beginning.
b. Of men (esp. ecclesiastics or other religious persons).
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > virginity > [noun] > specifically of men
maidenheada1325
virginitya1425
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) John Prol. 234 Double witnesse of virginyte [E.V. c1384 Douce 369(2) maydenhod] is ȝouun to hym..in this that he is seid loued of God byfor othere disciplis.
a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) i. l. 4702 (MED) Ypolitus..off Venus despised the seruyse..he lyued euer in virgynyte.
c1480 (a1400) St. John Baptist 14 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 223 Angele als callit wes he [sc. John the Baptist], fore kepyng of verginite.
a1525 ( Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 288 John Euaungelist. Holy Edward, crownyd kyng, brothur in virginyte.
1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie iii. xvi. 101 Hee that wil enter into this religion must..obserue..virginitie and abstinence.
1615 W. Bedwell tr. Mohammedis Imposturæ ii. §68 By this perfection, that is, by virginitie, it is knowne that he was of God accepted for his perfection.
1657 A. Farindon Serm. (1672) II. 1191 Some have placed Perfection in Virginity,..making themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven; and have laid an imputation upon the state of Matrimony as most imperfect.
1658 T. Bromhall Treat. Specters v. 307 [He] defended the married Priests against the Monks, which observed the vow of Virginity.
1868 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1877) II. App. 538 The resolution of Eadward..to devote himself to a life of perpetual virginity.
1884 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. 556/2 Catholic feeling..has attached itself strongly to the virginity of St. Joseph.
c. Of women. Also in phrases flower, gem, etc., of virginity, chiefly with reference to the Virgin Mary.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > virginity > [noun] > specifically of women
virginitya1393
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > Mary > [noun]
ladyOE
queenOE
MaryOE
St MaryOE
starOE
Our LadylOE
lemana1225
maidena1225
maid Marya1225
heaven queenc1225
mothera1275
maiden Maryc1300
Star of the Seac1300
advocatrixc1390
mother-maidc1390
flower, gem, etc., of virginitya1393
the Virgina1393
mediatricea1400
paramoura1400
salver14..
advocatrice?a1430
Mother of God?a1430
way of indulgence?a1430
advocatessc1450
mother-maidenc1450
rose of Jerichoa1456
mediatrixc1475
viergec1475
addresseressa1492
fleur-de-lis?a1513
rosine?a1513
salvatrice?a1513
saviouress1563
mediatressa1602
advocatress1616
Christotokos1625
Deipara1664
V.M.1670
Madonnaa1684
the Virgin Mother1720
Panagia1776
Mater Dolorosa1800
B.V.M.1838
dispensatrixa1864
Theotokos1874
dispensatress1896
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 6243 And thus cam this Calistona Into the wode of Tegea, Wher sche virginite behihte Unto Diane.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Ellesmere) (1877) §948 The thridde manere of chastitee is virginitee, and it bihoueth þat she be hooly in herte and clene of body, thanne is she spouse to Ihesu crist and she is the lyf of Angeles.
?a1430 T. Hoccleve Mother of God l. 65 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 54 Wel oghten we thee worsshipe & honure, Paleys of Cryst, flour of virginitee!
1447 O. Bokenham Lives of Saints (Arun.) (1938) l. 190 (MED) In the vigylye of the Natyuyte Of hyr that is gemme of virgynyte.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1876) VI. 91 Seynte Etheldreda..whiche contynuede in virginite thauȝhe sche was mariede twyes.
a1525 Ballat Our Lady in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 271 Ross mary..O cleir conclaif of clene virginite That closit crist but curis criminale.
?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman i. vi. sig. G Virginite was euer an holy thyng euen amonge theues, breakers of Sayntuary, vngratious lyuers.
1603 T. Dekker et al. Patient Grissill sig. C4v Master Farneze, sweet virginitie is that inuisible God-head that turns into Angells, that makes vs saints on earth and starres in heauen.
1637 J. Milton Comus 25 List Ladie..be not cosen'd With that same-vaunted name Virginitie.
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 164. ¶5 That Vow of Virginity in which she [sc. a novice] was going to engage herself.
1911 Edinb. Rev. July 62 Jacqueline aspired to the veil, dedicated herself to virginity and the spiritual life.
d. Personified.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > virginity > [noun] > personified
virginity1483
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. iv. f. lx She was suster to Aungels, and was cleped vyrgynyte.
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) l. 842 (MED) Many pety capteyns aftyr these went, As..Clennesse, Continence, and Virginite.
2. figurative.1648 R. Crashaw Delights Muses (ed. 2) 70 O had he ne're been at that cruell cost, Natures virginitie had ne'r been lost.† c. With a or plural. Obsolete.
a. The state or condition of a virgin or chaste woman; chastity, as the natural or normal condition of an unmarried woman; maidenhood. Also, a condition affording presumption of chastity; spinsterhood.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > virginity > [noun] > specifically of women > state or condition of
virginitya1400
pucelagec1525
maiden-gem1612
maiden gear1719
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > young unmarried woman > condition of > virginity as natural condition of
maidenheada1325
virginitya1400
virginity1604
a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 2875 Graunte me two moneþes ar y dye, Þat y may wepe my virginite.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1977) l. 1071 By how comly a kest he watȝ clos þere, When venkkyst watȝ no vergynyte, ne vyolence maked.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 18560 For me is leuere In my contre Be sclayn In my virginite, That I falle not In ȝoure handis, Þan go with ȝow.
c1425 Wyntoun Cron. iii. 130 Þat scho mycht murnand be Twa moneth hir virginite.
a1586 Ballad against Evil Women in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 391 Evin so women waris þair virginite On þame þat maist ar haldin onworthie.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost i. i. 284 I denie her Virginitie: I was taken with a Maide. View more context for this quotation
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 20 The [Malagasy] youth scarce knowing twelue, the maid ten yeares in the World, the title of Virginity.
1709 J. Addison Tatler No. 102. ⁋1 Some pleaded their unspotted Virginity; others their numerous issue.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 39. ⁋5 The reproach and solitude of antiquated virginity.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature (1799) II. 543 They dispense premiums on virginity!
1825 W. Scott Let. 24 Aug. in J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1937) VI. 76 The celebrated ‘Ladies’..who..selected this charming spot for the repose of their time-honoured virginity.
1884 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. 556/2 Mary, then, was the Virgin Mother of God. She remained in perpetual virginity.
b. Frequently in phrases, esp. with possessives, as to ravish, rob, etc. (a woman's) virginity; to keep, lose, etc. (one's) virginity; sometimes with approximation to a concrete sense.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 6340 To robbe the virginite Of a yong innocent aweie.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. l. 5649 Thus this tirant there Beraft hire such thing as men sein Mai neveremor be yolde ayein, And that was the virginite.
a1450 Quixley's Ballades in Yorks. Archæol. Jrnl. (1909) 20 46 (MED) Tereus kyng..The virginite rauysht be treson Of Philomene.
1485 W. Caxton tr. Lyf St. Wenefryde sig. avi And chase leuer the smytynge of, of her hede, than to lose her vyrgynyte.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 23 Whan he was ded, þer come a knyȝt, and spoiled me of my virginite.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 131/1 Her heare hangyng aboute her shoulders in two partes deuided (wherwith her shamefaste chastitie and Virginitie was couered).
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iv. i. 47 If you..Haue vanquisht the resistance of her youth, And made defeate of her virginitie . View more context for this quotation
1622 S. Rowlands Good Newes & Bad Newes 21 Since Nans Virginity past help is lost, They'l teach him what a maidenhead will cost.
c1706 M. Prior True Maid 1 For my Virginity, When I lose that, says Rose, I'll dye.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) That the next Relation, or Friend of the Maid's, shall undertake to enjoy her before him, and take away her Virginity.
1759 A. Butler Lives Saints IV. 341 These holy martyrs seem..to have met a glorious death in defence of their virginity from the army of the Huns.
1866 B. Taylor On Leaving Calif. in Poems 272 Mother of mighty men, thou shalt not mourn Thy lost virginity.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > young unmarried woman > condition of > virginity as natural condition of
maidenheada1325
virginitya1400
virginity1604
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies v. xv. 367 Some were appoynted to serve the Guacas and Sanctuaries, keeping their virginities for ever.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iv. 157 The men..and the Virgines..both shall haue their Virginities renewed, as fast, as lost.
1634 W. Tirwhyt tr. J. L. G. de Balzac Lett. 269 Nor was every any virginity so britle, as that she brought into the world.
d. Used as a title: A virgin or unmarried woman. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > young unmarried woman > as title or form of address
virginship1642
virginity1755
1755 F. Brooke Old Maid No. 9. 50 You must know then my good sister virginity, that [etc.].
3.
a. figurative. The state of being virgin, fresh, or new.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > newness or novelty > [noun] > newness, freshness, or originality
noveltya1398
greenness1544
nap1591
verd1603
virginity1639
originalness1727
originality1782
freshness1807
verdurousness1856
unhackneyedness1884
1639 T. Fuller Hist. Holy Warre i. xix. 31 Cana the lesse, where he shewed the virginitie of his miracles at a marriage, turning water into wine.
a1716 R. South Serm. Several Occasions (1744) XI. 8 As the purest water.., when it slides into a dirty and a muddy kennel, it immediately loses it's clearness and virginity.
18.. J. G. Whittier Prose Wks. (1889) II. 187 What avail your abstract theories, your hopeless virginity of democracy, sacred from the violence of meanings?
1896 Daily News 14 Feb. 5/4 Pretty well for what Lord Rosebery would call the virginity of the Session.
1915 J. Kelman Salted with Fire ix. 121 Men's prejudices..had destroyed what Ruskin calls the virginity of the eye, and it was the main endeavour of Jesus to restore it.
b. transferred. (The appearance of) virtue or integrity; innocence, inexperience. Also with adjective indicating a sphere of activity. Cf. virgin n. 2f.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > purity > innocence > [noun]
unshathinessOE
loathlessnessc1200
unloathnessa1225
innoyandnessa1340
innocence1340
innocency1357
innocentness1482
virginity1975
1975 Listener 10 Apr. 468/1 She turned down £20,000 for half-a-day's advertising work. ‘I'm selling my virginity,’ she said. ‘At least, that's what they're bidding for.’
1978 T. L. Smith Money War i. 21 The President does not want to know... They all want it handled discreetly. And they all wish to maintain their virginity.
1982 Times 15 Feb. 4/2 He could claim no political virginity since he..had been an elected delegate at both Conservative and Labour conferences.
Derivatives
virˈginityship n. spinsterhood.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > condition of
virginityship1741
spinstry1784
spinstership1816
spinsterism1818
spinsterhood1823
singlehood1840
spinsterdom1879
1741 E. Montagu Let. Oct. (1809) I. 299 Old virginityship is certainly Milton's Hell, ‘Where hope ne'er comes that comes to all’.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1917; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
<
n.a1393