vestal

American  

[ves-tl] / ˈvɛs tl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the goddess Vesta.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a vestal virgin; chaste; pure.

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noun

1. vestal virgin.

2. a chaste unmarried woman; virgin.

3. a nun.

vestal British  

/ ˈvɛstəl /

adjective

1. chaste or pure; virginal

2. of or relating to the Roman goddess Vesta

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noun

1. a chaste woman; virgin

2. a rare word for nun 1

Etymology

Origin of vestal

1400–50; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin vestālis. See Vesta, -al ¹

Example Sentences

That transformation unlocked something new that shot her to the top of pop’s Olympus: the vestal vamp.

From New York Times

To mark the legendary founding of the city and its past glory, there is usually a crowded birthday parade of re-enactors dressed up as gladiators and vestal virgins.

From New York Times

The vestal virgins, who maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, were the Beyhive of their day.

From The New Yorker

A center wall, painted with floral-themed graffiti that recalls Keith Haring’s more vestal imagery, frames the open kitchen and rights the visual balance.

From Los Angeles Times

Around the room, the machines’ shabby curtains snap open and bang shut; the vestal poll-watchers bend low over their thick volumes; and once again I have forgotten the number of my assembly district.

From The New Yorker