maiden

noun maid·en \ ˈmā-dᵊn \

Definition of maiden

1 :an unmarried girl or woman :maid

2 :a former Scottish beheading device resembling the guillotine (see guillotine 1)

3 :a horse that has never won a race

See maiden defined for English-language learners

See maiden defined for kids

Examples of maiden in a Sentence

a story about a courageous knight who rescues a fair maiden
a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father

Recent Examples of maiden from the Web

After needing six tries to break his maiden, Skeedattle Associates' Just Howard continued his forward progression by running down Dothat Dance and holding off Ghost Bay to earn a third straight win in the $75,000 Find at Laurel Park.

— baltimoresun.com, "Digest (Aug. 19): Fitting victory served up by Crabcakes at Laurel Park," 20 Aug. 2017
When the devil comes to claim his due, the maiden's purity (rendered visually through much bathing) prevents him from possessing her.

— alissa simon, chicagotribune.com, "'The Girl Without Hands' review: A Grimm fairy tale rendered in watercolor," 10 Aug. 2017
A June trip to Spencer Glacier marked my maiden packraft voyage.

— Alaska Dispatch News, "Whether paddling in place or going in reverse, this amateur is a work in progress," 10 Aug. 2017
Elliott Bay was a maiden but ran well in both previous starts, finishing second in a maiden race and fifth after setting the pace in the July 16 Emerald Express stakes.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Elliott Bay hangs on, then survives an inquiry to win WTBOA Lads Stakes," 6 Aug. 2017
Just like Dunk, Awesome Mass broke her maiden in her third start by a wide margin, posting an 11 ¾-length win at Gulfstream July 20.

— tim dwyer, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Sire Series and Gunnevera's return highlight busy racing weekend at Gulfstream Park," 4 Aug. 2017
The question is why did the maiden go off at such a big price?

— jeff nahill, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Up-and-down first week 'down at old Del Mar'," 25 July 2017
Giselle dies of grief and is enlisted by the vengeful Wilis, a ghostly army of unmarried maidens who haunt the forests, dancing to death any male mortal who crosses their path.

— kathleen luppi, Daily Pilot, "Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company to make rare West Coast visit with 'Giselle' in Costa Mesa," 20 July 2017
SIR BALLANTINE just broke his maiden but shouldn't mind the move to turf and can run well again Sunday afternoon.

— mike battaglia, The Courier-Journal, "Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's picks for Sunday at Churchill Downs," 24 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'maiden.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of maiden

Middle English, from Old English mægden, mǣden, diminutive of mægeth; akin to Old High German magad maiden, Old Irish mug serf

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

maiden Synonyms

Synonyms

damsel, demoiselle, maid, girl, miss

Related Words

virgin; deb, debutante, ingenue (or ingénue); bird [chiefly British], chick [slang], chicken, chit, filly, lass, lassie, sheila [Australian & New Zealand], sister; colleen, mademoiselle, senhorita, senorita (or señorita)

maiden

adjective

Definition of maiden

1 a (1) :not married

a maiden aunt

(2) :virgin

b of a female animal

(1) :never yet mated

(2) :never having borne young

2 :of, relating to, or befitting a maiden

3 :first, earliest

a ship's maiden voyage

the maiden flight of a spacecraft

See maiden defined for English-language learners

Examples of maiden in a Sentence

the maiden issue of a new magazine
a politician giving his maiden speech in the Senate

Recent Examples of maiden from the Web

This may be compared to a beloved maiden, beautiful in form and appearance, concealed secretly in her palace.

— arthur green, The Atlantic, "Restoring Kabbalah to Mainstream Judaism," 25 Aug. 2017
Although the horses were $50,000 maiden claimers, the time was some eight seconds off the track record.

— jeff nahill, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Del Mar's attendance getting on the right track," 9 Aug. 2017
The first name is variation of his proper first name, Devaris, with Strange being his late mother’s maiden name.

— andre c. fernandez, miamiherald, "Players Weekend jersey nicknames carry interesting back stories for Marlins," 9 Aug. 2017
Elliott Bay was a maiden but ran well in both previous starts, finishing second in a maiden race and fifth after setting the pace in the July 16 Emerald Express stakes.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Elliott Bay hangs on, then survives an inquiry to win WTBOA Lads Stakes," 6 Aug. 2017
Our baseline landing site for our maiden lunar expedition is an equatorial region of the moon high in pyroclastic deposits.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "Moon could contain lots of water, study suggests, bolstering visions of a lunar colony," 24 July 2017
A drama critic learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family.

— The Courier-Journal, "45+ fun things to do in Louisville July 20-26," 19 July 2017
Lu is my grandfather’s family name, my mother’s maiden name.

— karissa chen, Longreads, "My Grandfather’s Fateful Goodbye, Reimagined," 8 July 2017
Reeves, whose grandson eagerly came along with her on her maiden flight to capture the moment on video, totally gets that.

— bruce horovitz, Kaiser Health News, "They’ve Still Got Bucket Lists — In Their 90s," 5 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of maiden

see ¹maiden

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

maiden Synonyms

Synonyms

earliest, foremost, headmost, inaugural, initial, leadoff, first, original, pioneer, premier, virgin

Antonyms

final, last, latest, latter, terminal, terminating, ultimate

Related Words

ancient, early, primal, primary, prime, primeval, primitive, primordial; antecedent, preceding, previous

Near Antonyms

advanced, late; consequent, ensuing, following, subsequent, succeeding; penultimate

MAIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

maiden

noun

Definition of maiden for English Language Learners

: a young girl or woman who is not married

maiden

adjective

Definition of maiden for English Language Learners

of a woman : not married
: coming before all others : first or earliest

MAIDEN Defined for Kids

maiden

noun maid·en \ ˈmā-dᵊn \

Definition of maiden for Students

:an unmarried girl or woman

maiden

adjective

Definition of maiden for Students

1 :unmarried

2 :¹first

This is our maiden voyage to Europe.

Learn More about maiden

See words that rhyme with maiden Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for maiden Spanish Central: Translation of maiden Nglish: Translation of maiden for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of maiden for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up maiden? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

maiden

Definition of maiden

People Are Reading

Examples of maiden in a Sentence

Recent Examples of maiden from the Web

Origin and Etymology of maiden

maiden Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

maiden

Definition of maiden

Examples of maiden in a Sentence

Recent Examples of maiden from the Web

Origin and Etymology of maiden

maiden Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

MAIDEN Defined for English Language Learners

maiden

Definition of maiden for English Language Learners

maiden

Definition of maiden for English Language Learners

MAIDEN Defined for Kids

maiden

Definition of maiden for Students

maiden

Definition of maiden for Students

Learn More about maiden

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'Dis': From Early Rap to Academic Journals

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066