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

Last month, the Hangzhou-based company raised $7.4 billion in its maiden external funding round, where investors valued it at more than $50 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

The series began in Bengaluru and ended with India's maiden international victory in the fourth Test in Patna.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The 29-year-old will hope to add a second Grand Slam singles trophy to his collection after ending his long wait for a maiden major at last month's French Open.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

The billionaire president has barely been able to contain his excitement over the retrofitted Boeing 747-8 aircraft, which took him to Ankara on its maiden trip outside the United States.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

“I’m here to see Miss L’Arche,” I say, remembering that Marlena has checked in using her maiden name.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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

She told Newsday afterward that the most difficult clue was in the third puzzle: “Greek festival maidens with baskets on their heads.”

From New York Times ● May 3, 2024

Standing out among the imposing voices of giants, the Rhine maidens and other gods was Tamara Mumford as Erda, the Earth goddess, who speaks foreboding truth to power.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 27, 2024

Even with England's unprecedented fast-scoring approach over the previous year, few would have predicted that Australia would managed only 34 maidens in the entire series without the assistance of a world-ending asteroid strike.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2023

From behind an ornate Myrish screen carved with flowers and fancies and dreaming maidens, they peered unseen into a common room where an old man was playing a cheerful air on the pipes.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• inaugural
• introductory