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.
Meanings
(not-comparable) Virgin.
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:
It was just the middle of October when I moved in with my maiden sister […] 1859, Charles Dickens, The Haunted House:
(not-comparable, of a female, qualifier:human or animal) Without offspring.
(not-comparable) Like or befitting a (young, unmarried) maiden.
Haue you no modeſty, no maiden ſhame, / No touch of baſhfulneſſe? c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 155, column 2:
(figuratively, not-comparable) Being a first occurrence or event.
Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado took his maiden victory and Williams's first since 2004 in a strategic battle with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. 2012 May 13, Andrew Benson, “Williams's Pastor Maldonado takes landmark Spanish Grand Prix win”, in BBC Sport:
1975 was the year when West Indies won their maiden World Cup title.
After Edmund Burke's maiden speech, William Pitt the Elder said Burke had "spoken in such a manner as to stop the mouths of all Europe" and that the Commons should congratulate itself on acquiring such a member.
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
(not-comparable) Being an over in which no runs are scored.
He bowled a record twelve maiden overs in his spell of 8-33 in 21 overs.
Come Brother Iohn, full brauely haſt thou fleſht thy Maiden ſword. c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv], page 72, column 2:
When I am dead, good Wench, / Let me be vs’d with Honor; ſtrew me ouer / With Maiden Flowers, that all the world may know / I was a chaſte Wife, to my Graue: Embalme me, / Then lay me forth (although vnqueen’d) yet like / A Queene, and Daughter to a King enterre me. 1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii], page 226, column 2:
(not-comparable, of a fortress) Never having been captured or violated.
But every citizen considered his own honor as bound up with the honor of the maiden fortress. 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
Victorie forsook him for ever since he ransacked the maiden town of Magdenburg 1631, J. Taylor, (Please provide the book title or journal name):
(not-comparable, of a tree) Grown from seed and never pruned.
yi מיידליש (like or befitting a (young, unmarried) maiden) · fi neitsyt- (describing a first occurrence or event) · es primerizo (describing a first occurrence or event) · pt primeiro (describing a first occurrence or event) · fr inaugural (describing a first occurrence or event) · ru пе́рвый (describing a first occurrence or event) · pt inaugural (describing a first occurrence or event) · nl kinderloos (without offspring) · sv jungfru- (describing a first occurrence or event) · bg девически (like or befitting a (young, unmarried) maiden) · ro inaugural (describing a first occurrence or event)
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.
Meanings
(literary) A girl or an unmarried young woman.
(archaic) A female virgin.
She's unmarried and still a maiden.
(dialectal, obsolete) A man with no experience of sex, especially because of deliberate abstention.
As for that ſaid ſire Bors I wille be ſhryuen with a good wylle / Soo ſyr Bors was confeſſyd / and for al wymmen ſir Bors was a vyrgyne / ſauf for one / that was the doughter of kynge Brangorys / and on her he gat a child that hyghte Elayne / and ſauf for her ſyre Bors was a clene mayden[…] 1470–1485 (date produced), Thomas Malory, “Capitulum Quartum”, in [Le Morte Darthur], book XI (in Middle English), [London: […] by William Caxton], published 31 July 1485, →OCLC, leaf 289, recto; republished as H[einrich] Oskar Sommer, editor, Le Morte Darthur […], London: David Nutt, […], 1889, →OCLC, page 577:
A maidservant.
A clothes maiden.
(archaic) 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.
(historical) A Scottish counterpart of the guillotine.
It had been customary during the whole civil war, to decapitate state criminals by the instrument called the maiden; but Montrose was condemned to a more ignominious death , by a gibbet thirty feet high 1832, Robert Chambers, The History of Scotland:
ro fecioară (unmarried young female) · yi מויד (unmarried young female) · el παρθένα (female virgin) · hi कुंवारी (female virgin) · bg мома́ (unmarried young female) · pt virgem (female virgin) · gd maighdeann (unmarried young female) · fr pucelle (female virgin) · fr jeune femme (unmarried young female) · uk па́нна (unmarried young female) · orv дѣва (unmarried young female) · gd òigh (female virgin) · twf kwə́lena (unmarried young female) · sl devica (female virgin) · bg госпо́жица (unmarried young female) · prs بَاکِرَه (female virgin) · cmn 處子 /处子 (female virgin) · bg дево́йка (unmarried young female) · ur کُن٘واری (unmarried young female) · fr demoiselle (unmarried young female) · be цэ́лка (female virgin) · eo fraŭlino (unmarried young female) · grc παρθένος (female virgin) · gd òigh (unmarried young female) · ett 𐌚𐌀𐌓𐌈𐌀𐌍𐌀 class animate (female virgin) · sh djèvōjka (unmarried young female) · ka უმანკო (female virgin) · sv oskuld (female virgin) · sk panna (unmarried young female) · mba laga (unmarried young female) · grc κόρη (unmarried young female) · ro domnișoară (unmarried young female) · pro donzella (unmarried young female) · ar فَتَاة (unmarried young female) · sv jungfru (unmarried young female) · tl dalaga (unmarried young female) · sh dèvica (female virgin) · pl dziewczyna (unmarried young female) · nl juffrouw (unmarried young female) · yi מיידל (unmarried young female) · ga bé (unmarried young female) · ko 처녀 (unmarried young female) · ja 処女 (unmarried young female) · be няві́нніца (female virgin) · gl virxe (female virgin) · ur لَڑْکی (unmarried young female) · ja 処子 少女 (unmarried young female) · ru деви́ца (unmarried young female) · mk де́војка (unmarried young female) · sq re (unmarried young female) · be дзяўчы́на (unmarried young female) · fi impi (female virgin) · ka უბიწო (female virgin) · cmn 處女 /处女 (female virgin) · it nubile (female virgin) · pl panna (unmarried young female) · de Jungfrau (female virgin) · sh дјѐвица (female virgin) · ka ქალწული (female virgin) · sk dievča (unmarried young female) · el κοπέλα (unmarried young female) · ja 処子 (female virgin) · vi trinh nữ (female virgin) · cu дѣва (unmarried young female) · tet feto-raan (unmarried young female) · fr jeune fille (unmarried young female) · it pulzella (unmarried young female) · ru де́вушка (unmarried young female) · nl maagd (female virgin) · ga bruinneall (unmarried young female) · ar عَذْرَاء (female virgin) · az bakirə (female virgin) · kw maghteth (female virgin) · el κορίτσι (unmarried young female) · ru де́ва (unmarried young female) · ang mǣġdenċild (unmarried young female) · bg деви́ца (unmarried young female) · nl meisje (unmarried young female) · uk ді́ва (unmarried young female) · hi कुँवारी (unmarried young female) · gd ainnir (unmarried young female) · ett 𐌚𐌀𐌓𐌈𐌍𐌄 class animate (unmarried young female) · bg момиче́ (unmarried young female) · ko 아가씨 (female virgin) · nl maagd (unmarried young female) · cu дѣвица (unmarried young female) · he עַלְמָה (unmarried young female) · id perawan (female virgin) · ga maighdean (female virgin) · gd gruagach (unmarried young female) · sk panna (female virgin) · mk де́вица (female virgin) · bg деви́ца (female virgin) · ko 처자 (female virgin) · da jomfru (unmarried young female) · sh djèvica (female virgin) · ang mǣġþ (unmarried young female) · nb jomfru (unmarried young female) · sl devica (unmarried young female) · sk deva (unmarried young female) · br merc'h (unmarried young female) · cy morwyn (unmarried young female) · hi युवती (unmarried young female) · la virgo (female virgin) · pt donzela (unmarried young female) · ru де́вственница (female virgin) · sh дѐво̄јка (unmarried young female) · ett 𐌚𐌀𐌓𐌈𐌀𐌍𐌀 class animate (unmarried young female) · uk ді́ва (female virgin) · af maagd (female virgin) · ang mǣġden (unmarried young female) · zlw-ocs dievka (unmarried young female) · cu ⰴⱑⰲⰰ (unmarried young female) · et neitsi (female virgin) · nv chʼikę́ę́h (unmarried young female) · uk дівчи́на (unmarried young female) · hy օրիորդ (unmarried young female) · oui 𐽲𐽶𐽴 (unmarried young female) · fr pucelle (unmarried young female) · gl doncela (female virgin) · fi neito (unmarried young female) · bg де́вственица (female virgin) · cu ⰴⱑⰲⰹⱌⰰ (unmarried young female) · kw maghteth (unmarried young female) · cs slečna (unmarried young female) · orv дивица (unmarried young female) · id gadis (unmarried young female) · be дзе́ва (unmarried young female) · nl vrijster (unmarried young female) · cs panna (female virgin) · zdj mwana mwari (female virgin) · sh dèvōjka (unmarried young female) · fa-ira دوشیزِهْ (unmarried young female) · gd maighdeann (female virgin) · gl moza (unmarried young female) · vi gái trinh (female virgin) · de Mädchen (unmarried young female) · sh дјѐво̄јка (unmarried young female) · hu szűz (female virgin) · fi neitsyt (female virgin) · ar جَارِيَة (unmarried young female) · fr vierge (female virgin) · yi בתולה (female virgin) · vi thiếu nữ (unmarried young female) · gd ainnir (female virgin) · ru це́лка (female virgin) · hy կույս (female virgin) · it ragazza (unmarried young female) · de Jungfrau (unmarried young female) · lv jaunava (female virgin) · lt mergelė (female virgin) · be па́нна (unmarried young female) · cs děvče (unmarried young female) · ka ქალწული (unmarried young female) · sv jungfru (female virgin) · fa-ira باکِرِه (female virgin) · ko 처녀 (female virgin) · cs panna (unmarried young female) · br plac'h (unmarried young female) · bcl daraga (unmarried young female) · hu leány (unmarried young female) · mk мо́минско (unmarried young female) · hi लड़की (unmarried young female) · cy merch (unmarried young female) · ms anak dara (unmarried young female) · cy rhiain (unmarried young female) · cmn 少女 (unmarried young female) · nv chʼikę́ę́h (female virgin) · got 𐌼𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐍉 (unmarried young female) · pl dziewica (female virgin) · th บริสุทธิ์ (female virgin) · got 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌸𐍃 (female virgin) · ka ქალიშვილი (unmarried young female) · nl jongedame (unmarried young female) · got 𐌼𐌰𐌲𐌰𐌸𐍃 (unmarried young female) · es doncella (unmarried young female) · ga maighdean f ainnir (unmarried young female) · gd rìbhinn (unmarried young female) · de Maid (unmarried young female) · io damzelo (unmarried young female) · mi kōhine (unmarried young female) · ka ქალიშვილი (female virgin) · hi कुँआरी (female virgin) · gd nighean (unmarried young female) · es doncella (female virgin) · sq virgjëreshë (female virgin) · sh дѐвица (female virgin) · he בְּתוּלָה (female virgin) · pt senhorita (unmarried young female) · uk неза́ймана (female virgin) · ett 𐌚𐌀𐌓𐌈𐌍𐌄 class animate (female virgin) · ru деви́ца (female virgin) · orv дѣвица (unmarried young female) · ko 처자 (unmarried young female) · es señorita (unmarried young female) · gl doncela (unmarried young female) · sl dekle (unmarried young female) · ja 処女 (female virgin) · cy geneth (unmarried young female) · fi neiti (unmarried young female) · ar بِكْر (female virgin) · ko 아가씨 (unmarried young female) · la virgō (unmarried young female) · tr bakire (female virgin)