virgin

[ vur-jin ]

noun

1. a person who has never had sexual intercourse.
2. an unmarried girl or woman.

   Synonyms: maiden, maid

3. Ecclesiastical. an unmarried, religious woman, especially a saint.
4. the Virgin, Mary, the mother of Christ.
5. Informal. any person who is uninitiated, uninformed, or the like:

   He's still a virgin as far as hard work is concerned.

6. a female animal that has never copulated.
7. an unfertilized insect.
8. Virgin, Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of Virgo.

adjective

1. being a virgin:

   a virgin martyr.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a virgin:

   virgin modesty.

3. pure; unsullied; undefiled:

   virgin snow.

   Synonyms: chaste

   Antonyms: defiled

4. first:

   the senator's virgin speech.

5. without admixture, alloy, or modification:

   virgin gold.

   Synonyms: unadulterated, unalloyed

   Antonyms: impure

6. not previously exploited, cultivated, tapped, or used: virgin wool.

   virgin timberlands;

   virgin wool.

   Synonyms: untouched, pristine, new

7. without experience of; not previously exposed to:

   a mind virgin to such sorrows.

8. Informal. being a mixed drink resembling a specific cocktail but made without any alcoholic ingredient:

   a virgin piña colada.

9. Zoology. not fertilized.
10. (of a metal) made directly from ore by smelting, rather than from scrap.
11. noting the oil obtained, as from olives, by the first pressing without the application of heat.

Virgin

¹

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. the Virgin
   See Virgin Mary
2. a statue or other artistic representation of the Virgin Mary

virgin

²

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. a person, esp a woman, who has never had sexual intercourse
2. an unmarried woman who has taken a religious vow of chastity in order to dedicate herself totally to God
3. any female animal that has never mated
4. a female insect that produces offspring by parthenogenesis
5. a person who is new to or inexperienced in a specified field

   a political virgin

adjective

1. of, relating to, resembling, suitable for, or characteristic of a virgin or virgins; chaste
2. pure and natural, uncorrupted, unsullied, or untouched

   virgin purity

3. not yet cultivated, explored, exploited, etc, by man

   virgin territories

4. being the first or happening for the first time
5. (of vegetable oils) obtained directly by the first pressing of fruits, leaves, or seeds of plants without applying heat
6. (of a metal) made from an ore rather than from scrap
7. occurring naturally in a pure and uncombined form

   virgin silver

8. physics (of a neutron) not having experienced a collision

Virgin

³

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. the Virgin
   the constellation Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac

Other Words From

• un·virgin adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of virgin¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English virgine, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin virgin-, stem of virgō “maiden, virgin”

Word History and Origins

Origin of virgin¹

C13: from Old French virgine, from Latin virgō virgin

Example Sentences

Polyphenol-rich foods such as dark chocolate, berries, red grapes, green tea and extra virgin olive oil help reduce inflammation and encourage the growth of healthy gut bacteria.

From Salon

While suturing another patient after childbirth, the lawsuit states, Brock told her, “I’m going to make you a virgin again, by stitching you tighter. Believe me, your husband will thank me.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Every time the copters go up to spray, we’ll go into virgin territory or old Medfly problem areas and release a minimum of several thousand blue-eyed Medflies. We are organized, patient and determined.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Looking back, I believe I was recruited purely as a potential sex partner or plaything for Al Fayed, hence the questions at the interview to establish if I was a virgin,” Margot says.

From BBC

There were also funny bits about the “extra” in extra virgin olive oil and what happened when he ate a raspberry for the first time at the age of 40.

From Los Angeles Times