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

The ship successfully sailed on a crewed maiden voyage in the Persian Gulf in March and will be part of a display about maritime history in the Zayed National Museum in Abu Dhabi. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 13 July 2024

Prior to Thursday's launch, SpaceX had suffered just one in-flight failure in 354 launches of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets dating back to the system's maiden flight in 2010. —William Harwood, CBS News, 12 July 2024

Adjective

The Titanic, often called the world's most tragic shipwreck, hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic on its maiden voyage and sank on April 15, 1912. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 13 July 2024

Now that the ship has completed its sea trials and maiden voyage, it will be displayed at the Zayed National Museum, the UAE’s new national museum being constructed on Saadiyat Island. —Ashley Strickland, CNN, 12 July 2024

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

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