maiden

American  

[mayd-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

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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

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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

Healey, whose official title is chancellor of the exchequer, added that his maiden budget would see the government "maintaining fiscal discipline.. while giving businesses and families some breathing space".

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Capex of A$1.9 billion and a timeline for maiden production of the September quarter of 2029 were largely in line with Jefferies’s expectations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Her legal credentials have come under scrutiny after she didn’t appear in searches for licensed attorneys in California, Texas or Washington, D.C., under her married or maiden name.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Rocket Lab once again is delaying the maiden launch of its Neutron rocket, dealing a major blow to investors.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 15, 2026

I’d flex and leap, and bow and sweep; a sugarplum, a swan, a maiden, a doll.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

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

The rustic utopia would be a place where they could “bleach linens at the brook like the maidens of Homer’s ‘Iliad’!

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

Only 5.3% of the complete overs bowled by Australia were maidens.

From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2023

In his workshop he has hand maidens he has forged out of gold who can move and who help him in his work.

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

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