vestal virgins

Cultural

Women in ancient Rome who took vows of chastity and tended the sacred flame in the temple of the goddess Vesta. Their group numbered six at any one time. A vestal virgin could marry after her term of service was over, but to do so was considered bad luck. A vestal virgin who lost her virginity during her term of service was punished by being buried alive.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A few women could serve in a priestly office as vestal virgins.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The vestal virgins were a way for a few women to hold a priesthood, though the occasional punishments inflicted on them shows their precarious status.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

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 • Sep. 9, 2019

Bypassing the play's philosophy and blunting its rapier wit, the Hollywood version offers instead some gaudy Colosseum sequences, complete with gladiators, lions and glamorous vestal virgins.

From Time Magazine Archive

The imperial circle and the emperor himself, members of high senatorial houses, the great officers of state, the priests, the vestal virgins, gave an impressive national dignity to the inhuman spectacle.

From Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius by Dill, Samuel

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023