maiden

1 of 2

noun

maid·​en ˈmā-dᵊn 

1

: an unmarried girl or woman : maid

2

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

3

: a horse that has never won a race

maiden

2 of 2

adjective

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

Synonyms

Noun

• damsel
• demoiselle
• girl
• maid
• miss

Adjective

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

Examples of maiden in a Sentence

Noun

a story about a courageous knight who rescues a fair maiden

a story about a beautiful maiden and her mysterious father

Adjective

the maiden issue of a new magazine

a politician giving his maiden speech in the Senate

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Sinner, 15 years younger than Djokovic, still has not lost a set in the tournament while advancing to his maiden Roland Garros final. —Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

The movie revolves around 10 year old time-traveling rainbow-child Arco, who lives in the distant future of 2932, but gets trapped in 2075 when his maiden flight does not go to plan. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 6 June 2025

Adjective

The ship, on its maiden voyage from England and bound for New York City, sank after striking an iceberg in 1912. —Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 June 2025

The German is the man of the hour in Catalonia after leading Barca to an impressive domestic treble in his maiden term. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 11 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing maiden

• iron maiden
• maiden name
• sea-maiden

Rhymes for maiden

• laden
• maidan
• handmaiden
• menhaden
• unladen

Kids Definition

maiden

1 of 2 noun

maid·​en ˈmād-ᵊn 

: a young unmarried girl or woman

maidenhood

-ˌhu̇d

noun

maidenly

-lē

adjective

maiden

2 of 2 adjective

1

a

: not married

maiden aunt

b

: virgin entry 2 sense 1

2

: of or relating to a maiden

3

: coming before all others : first, earliest

maiden voyage