maiden

1 of 2

noun

maid·​en ˈmā-dᵊn 

1

old-fashioned + literary : 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 of a woman, dated

(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 of maiden

Noun

• girl
• maid

Adjective

• first
• initial
• inaugural
• original
• foremost
• earliest

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

Morse wheeled his runner back in seven days after a last-race maiden victory of five lengths on the Arkansas Derby undercard. —Bob Wisener, Arkansas Online, 5 Apr. 2026

This British production from Hammer Films and director Roy Ward Baker showcases moon maidens, old-fashioned lunar shootouts, buggy chases, and an ex-astronaut turned mercenary salvager trying to snag a 6000-pound sapphire asteroid from orbit for a billionaire industrialist. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 30 Mar. 2026

Adjective

The maiden flight took place on Saturday at an airport in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, marking the first time such a powerful hydrogen aviation engine has been tested in real flight conditions. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 6 Apr. 2026

Bob Baffert trains the two favorites, San Felipe winner Potente (2-1) and Cherokee Nation (5-2), whose lone career win came in a maiden race in late February but produced the fastest Beyer Speed Figure (100) in the field. —Jay Posner, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026

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