virgin

[vur-jin]

noun

1. a person who has never had sexual intercourse.

2. an unmarried girl or woman.

   Synonyms: maiden, maid

3. Ecclesiastical.,  an unmarried, religious woman, especially a saint.

4. the Virgin, Mary, the mother of Christ.

5. Informal.,  any person who is uninitiated, uninformed, or the like.

   He's still a virgin as far as hard work is concerned.

6. a female animal that has never copulated.

7. an unfertilized insect.

8. Astronomy, Astrology.,  Virgin, the constellation or sign of Virgo.

adjective

1. being a virgin.

   a virgin martyr.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of a virgin.

   virgin modesty.

3. pure; unsullied; undefiled.

   virgin snow.

   Synonyms: chaste
   Antonyms: defiled

4. first.

   the senator's virgin speech.

5. without admixture, alloy, or modification.

   virgin gold.

   Synonyms: unadulterated, unalloyed
   Antonyms: impure

6. not previously exploited, cultivated, tapped, or used: virgin wool.

   virgin timberlands;

   virgin wool.

   Synonyms: untouched, pristine, new

7. without experience of; not previously exposed to.

   a mind virgin to such sorrows.

8. Informal.,  being a mixed drink resembling a specific cocktail but made without any alcoholic ingredient.

   a virgin piña colada.

9. Zoology.,  not fertilized.

10. (of a metal) made directly from ore by smelting, rather than from scrap.

11. noting the oil obtained, as from olives, by the first pressing without the application of heat.

virgin

¹

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. a person, esp a woman, who has never had sexual intercourse

2. an unmarried woman who has taken a religious vow of chastity in order to dedicate herself totally to God

3. any female animal that has never mated

4. a female insect that produces offspring by parthenogenesis

5. a person who is new to or inexperienced in a specified field

   a political virgin

adjective

1. of, relating to, resembling, suitable for, or characteristic of a virgin or virgins; chaste

2. pure and natural, uncorrupted, unsullied, or untouched

   virgin purity

3. not yet cultivated, explored, exploited, etc, by man

   virgin territories

4. being the first or happening for the first time

5. (of vegetable oils) obtained directly by the first pressing of fruits, leaves, or seeds of plants without applying heat

6. (of a metal) made from an ore rather than from scrap

7. occurring naturally in a pure and uncombined form

   virgin silver

8. physics (of a neutron) not having experienced a collision

Virgin

²

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. See Virgin Mary

2. a statue or other artistic representation of the Virgin Mary

Virgin

³

/ ˈvɜːdʒɪn /

noun

1. the constellation Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac

Other Word Forms

• unvirgin adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of virgin¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English virgine, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin virgin-, stem of virgō “maiden, virgin”

Word History and Origins

Origin of virgin¹

C13: from Old French virgine, from Latin virgō virgin

Example Sentences

Plastic recycling plant closures are affecting the US as well, also prompted by the low price of virgin plastic, causing the country to miss its recycled content targets, as S&P Global reports.

Read more on BBC

Extra virgin olive oil, for example, is packed with antioxidants and beneficial compounds but its low smoke point means it is better for salad dressings or drizzling over food rather than deep frying.

Read more on BBC

A drizzle of fine, fruity arbequina extra virgin olive oil from Córdoba.

Read more on Salon

Plus, a handful of emerging start-ups such as Boston Metal say they can go one better and use electricity for the iron-making process, a crucial step in making brand new, or virgin, steel.

Read more on BBC

One of their favorite groups was Slayer, a popular metal act that featured a song with lyrics about worshiping Satan and sacrificing a blonde, blue-eyed virgin.

Read more on Los Angeles Times