maidenhood

American  

[meyd-n-hood] / ˈmeɪd nˌhʊd /

noun

1. the state or time of being a maiden or virgin.

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maidenhood British  

/ ˈmeɪdənˌhʊd /

noun

1. the time during which a woman is a maiden or a virgin

2. the condition of being a maiden or virgin

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Etymology

Origin of maidenhood

before 900; Middle English; Old English mægdenhād. See maiden, -hood

Example Sentences

I banned the word “obey” from our vows and I rejected the white dress that pushed archaic notions of female innocence, chastity, maidenhood and modesty.

From Washington Post • May 30, 2022

Jaime is such a villain, but his time in the Starks custody has humbled him, as we see when he manages to keep Brienne's maidenhood safe.

From Slate • Apr. 15, 2013

Kenneth Lewis, a Conservative from Rutland and Stamford, threatened to take the matter before the House of Commons and treat it as an affront to British maidenhood.

From Time Magazine Archive

When Arthur sings about fishing, he awkwardly pantomimes the act of casting; when Guenevere chants the simple joys of maidenhood, she is forced to remain supine for 32 bars.

From Time Magazine Archive

Surely we may believe, for the sake of the little girl, whose tender grace of unconscious maidenhood should not, in its hour of reawakened vitality, be the centre of a gazing circle.

From The Gospel According to St. Mark by Chadwick, G. A.

Related Words

• chastity