vestal

[ ves-tl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to the goddess Vesta.
2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a vestal virgin; chaste; pure.

noun

1. vestal virgin.
2. a chaste unmarried woman; virgin.
3. a nun.

vestal

/ ˈvɛstəl /

adjective

1. chaste or pure; virginal
2. of or relating to the Roman goddess Vesta

noun

1. a chaste woman; virgin
2. a rare word for nun 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of vestal¹

1400–50; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin vestālis. See Vesta, -al ¹

Example Sentences

That transformation unlocked something new that shot her to the top of pop’s Olympus: the vestal vamp.

From New York Times

Some of the only times women without offspring have garnered respect might be when they have formally devoted their lives to a god, and to celibacy: nuns, vestal virgins.

From The Guardian

To mark the legendary founding of the city and its past glory, there is usually a crowded birthday parade of re-enactors dressed up as gladiators and vestal virgins.

From New York Times

The vestal virgins, who maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, were the Beyhive of their day.

From The New Yorker

A center wall, painted with floral-themed graffiti that recalls Keith Haring’s more vestal imagery, frames the open kitchen and rights the visual balance.

From Los Angeles Times