maiden

American  

[meyd-n] / ˈmeɪd n /

noun

• maidens
  plural

1. a girl or young unmarried woman; maid.

2. Archaic. a female virgin.

3. Maiden, (in Neopaganism) the first form of the Goddess, represented as a young woman and said to symbolize youth and the first stages of life or growth.

4. a horse that has never won a race.

5. a race open only to maiden horses.

6. an instrument resembling the guillotine, formerly used in Scotland for beheading criminals.

7. Cricket. maiden over.

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adjective

1. Archaic. of, relating to, or befitting a girl or unmarried woman.

   her maiden virtues.

2. Archaic. (of a woman, especially one past middle age) unmarried.

   my maiden aunt.

3. (of a girl or woman) never having had sexual intercourse; virgin.

4. made, tried, appearing, etc., for the first time.

   a maiden flight.

5. (of a horse) never having won a race or a prize.

6. (of a prize or a race) offered for or open only to maiden horses.

7. untried, as a knight, soldier, or weapon.

maiden British  

/ ˈmeɪdən /

noun

1. archaic

   1. a young unmarried girl, esp when a virgin

   2. ( as modifier )

      a maiden blush

2. horse racing

   1. a horse that has never won a race

   2. ( as modifier )

      a maiden race

3. cricket See maiden over

4. Also called: clothes maiden.  dialect a frame on which clothes are hung to dry; clothes horse

5. (modifier) of or relating to an older unmarried woman

   a maiden aunt

6. (modifier) of or involving an initial experience or attempt

   a maiden voyage

   maiden speech

7. (modifier) (of a person or thing) untried; unused

8. (modifier) (of a place) never trodden, penetrated, or captured

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• maidenship
  noun
• maiden-like
  adjective
• maidenish
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• maidens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of maiden

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English mægden, equivalent to mægd, mæg(e)th (cognate with German Magd, Gothic magaths ) + -en -en ⁵

Explanation

Maiden is an old-fashioned term for a girl or an unmarried young woman. If you like reading fantasy novels, you've probably encountered plenty of knights and maidens — and maybe even a dragon or two. These days, you will hardly ever see this word used to mean an unmarried woman, except maybe humorously. However, you will see it used when discussing the maiden voyage of a ship or plane: in both cases, the word indicates youth and inexperience. Also, the maiden name of a married woman is her name before marriage, a name many women keep after marriage too. There is also a meaning of maiden in the baseball-like British game of cricket.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

maiden maidens

This was the rocket's first failure since its maiden flight in March 2020, according to Reuters.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

During a call with investors, Beck noted that the window for a launch before the year ends is “narrowing” and emphasized Rocket Lab’s focus on caution over rushing the rocket’s maiden test.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

MA thinks there’s a risk the market will be underwhelmed by a maiden study on the project, which is likely to be limited by an initial 1.8-million-metric-ton processing rate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Woods, who competes using her maiden name Sophie Amy Grant, set off on July 4 in Trieste, Italy, and finished on the Mediterranean coast of Monaco.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

“Of course not,” said the maiden who was Loki smoothly.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Surrounded by two maidens carrying trays of bread, several assistants helping carry the outfit across the carpet, Atang struggled to move freely.

From BBC ● May 10, 2026

But the cyclops can’t solve the simplest of riddles and the increasingly exasperated maidens, who’ll be free once a riddle is solved, can’t get them to stop approaching the cave or from making terrible guesses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026

She conceded just 17 runs in her 10 overs, three of which were maidens and into the bargain accounted for four wickets.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025

Drawing from the region’s deep vein of Celtic mythology, Jenkin summons the ghosts of lost fishermen and long-gone female mine workers, known as bal maidens, stoking an atmosphere thick with ancient anguish.

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2023

Such was the doom which awaited fourteen youths and maidens a few days after Theseus reached Athens.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Related Words

• inaugural
• introductory