vestal

[ves-tl]

adjective

1. of or relating to the goddess Vesta.

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

noun

1. vestal virgin.

2. a chaste unmarried woman; virgin.

3. a nun.

vestal

/ ˈvɛstəl /

adjective

1. chaste or pure; virginal

2. of or relating to the Roman goddess Vesta

noun

1. a chaste woman; virgin

2. a rare word for nun 1

Word History and Origins

Origin of vestal¹

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.

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Some of the only times women without offspring have garnered respect might be when they have formally devoted their lives to a god, and to celibacy: nuns, vestal virgins.

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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.

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

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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.

Read more on Los Angeles Times