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

• 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

Instead, just three months after that maiden outing, Huijsen was sent on loan to AS Roma. —Adam Digby, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

Campbell, who won his maiden PGA Tour victory at the Mexico Open in February, claimed his second playoff title at the John Deere Classic. —Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025

Adjective

The meet features 64 stakes races, including 18 Grade 1s, and is packed with deep maiden special weights, competitive allowance races, and hard-to-predict turf contests. —Jared Welch, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025

The 33-year-old, who has had an impressive season in her maiden National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) campaign — a move we have been told was encouraged by Bonadei himself — was an important member of the leadership group. —Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 5 July 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