maiden voyage

noun

1. the first voyage of a ship after its acceptance by the owners from the builders.

maiden voyage

noun

1. nautical the first voyage of a vessel

Word History and Origins

Origin of maiden voyage¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Idioms and Phrases

The first experience, as in This tennis tournament is my maiden voyage in statewide competition. This term, originally meaning the first voyage of a ship, was first recorded in 1901, but the use of maiden to signify “the first time” dates from the mid-1500s.