virgin

plural virgins

1. A person who has never had sexual intercourse, or (uncommonly) an animal that has never mated.

   A girl is a virgin until she experience penis-inside-vagina intercourse

   1988 page 186

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   On the other hand, the daughter of a clergyman repeatedly performed fellatio instead of genital intercourse so that she could remain a virgin.

   1970 Marriage in Life and Literature page 169

   Could I convert virgins to nymphomania? Masturbators to rakehood? Faithful wives to adulteresses? Seducers to ascetics? Very doubtful. But possible.

   1971, George Cockcroft aka Luke Rhinehart, The Dice Man

   As the years went on she became extraordinarily effective at fellatio but, despite the fact that she was Mrs James Baylor, age 32, she was still a virgin.

   1974, The New Review, Volume 1, Part Page 15

   among students we studied , 60 % of the virgin females had had oral sex experience

   1987 Psychology and Personal Growthpage 208

   26 percent of virgin females have performed fellatio while 87 percent of nonvirgins have done so .

   1992, Cosmopolitan, volume 212, page 177

   Synonyms: maiden, unicorn bait, virgo intacta, vestal

2. A person who has never engaged in any sexual activity at all.First known use mid-14th c.
3. Orthodoxy or historicalCatholicismSomeone vowed to virginity (usually a woman and often a consecrated virgin), or someone who died in defense of their virginity; (especially) one venerated as a saint.First known use early 13th c.

   In its list of saints, the Catholic Church classifies St. Agnes, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux as virgins.

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   This was the relation of the order of virgins to the Church from the latter part of the fourth to the beginning of the seventh century. The modern “sister” had no exact prototype in the Church of the first seven centuries.

   1894, Authorized Report of the Proceedings of the ... Congress of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States ..., page 109

   The list of saints' days and festivals includes a number of the Romish holidays, properly so called, viz.: Lucian, priest and martyr, Jan. 8 ; Hilary, bishop and confessor, Jan. 13 ; Prisca, virgin and martyr, Jan. 18 ; Fabian, bishop and martyr, Jan. 20 ; Agnes, virgin and martyr, Jan. 21 […]

   1894, John McClintock, James Strong, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, page 26

   It is evident that those from the priesthood are chiefly taken from the order of virgins, or if not from virgins, at least from monks; or if not from the order of monks, then they are wont to be made priests who keep themselves from their wives […].

   1900, A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Second Series, page 366

   It ought to have become apparent, however, that the well-established order of widows was the model for the newly developing order of virgins. Both orders earned their legitimization from the way of life adopted by their members […]

   1994, Susanna Elm, `Virgins of God' : The Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity: The Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity, Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 174

   According to Jerome's account, a young man, who desired to seduce a consecrated virgin of the church, at first attempted to do so through the standard means of seduction: namely, “with touching, jokes, nods, whistles, and the rest” (Vit. Hil. 21.2670–75).

   2007, Todd C. Penner, Caroline Vander Stichele, Mapping Gender in Ancient Religious Discourses, BRILL, →ISBN, page 89

4. informalOne who has never used or experienced a specified thing.

   I've never eaten tofu before—you could say I'm a tofu virgin.

5. Any of several species of gossamer-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
6. biologyA female insect producing eggs from which young are hatched, though there has been no fecundation by a male; a parthenogenetic insect.

comparative more virgin · superlative most virgin

1. not comparableusuallyIn a state of virginity; chaste, not having had sexual intercourse.

   Innocence and virgin Modestie […] / That would be woo’d, and not unsought be won

   1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC

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   He was now about twenty-three years old, and, though still virgin, the sex instinct that Miriam had over refined for so long now grew particularly strong.

   1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC

   From their embraces was born the handsome Actaeon, a naive boy, who had less excuse than other men, given that he was her son, for believing her to be a virgin. It's true that he was even more virgin than his mother.

   1988, Hubert Monteilhet, Neropolis

   Helvidius […] took the plain meaning of scripture to say that Jesus patently had brothers and sisters, so therefore his mother, Mary, had enjoyed a normal family life rather than remaining perpetually virgin.

   2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 314

2. Of a physical object, untouched.

   The white cold virgin snow upon my heart / Abates the ardour of my liver.

   1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]

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   There is something about virgin sand which arouses all the worst instincts of the detective-story writer. One feels an irresisitible impulse to go and make footprints all over it.

   1932, Dorothy L Sayers, chapter 1, in Have his Carcase

   Synonyms: brand new, pristine, unspoilt, untouched

3. Not yet cultivated, explored, or exploited by humans or humans of certain civilizations.

   virgin clay

   clay that has never been fired

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   virgin prairie

   virgin ecosystem

   virgin forest

   The virgin lands of the Americas were awaiting the Europeans.

   The same bounty of Summer, the same milde remission of Winter, with a more virgin and unexhausted soyle being materiall arguments to shew that modesty and truth receive no diminution by the comparison.

   1650, Edward Williams, Virginia: More Especially the South Part Thereof

   Synonyms: maiden

4. Inexperienced.

   The woman shook dangerously, an obvious virgin gunhandler.

   2014, Jeremiah Sanchez, Eden's Scarecrow: Real Eyes

5. Of olive oil, obtained by mechanical means, so that the oil is not altered.

   Wondering how some oil is somehow more virgin than regular virgin olive oil can be a real head-scratcher.

   2013, Cheryl Forberg, Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies, page 62

6. not comparableusuallyOf mixed drinks, not containing alcohol.

   a virgin daiquiri

1. ChristianitySynonym of Virgin Mary (“Mary, mother of Jesus”).

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   'Behold,' said he, showing the picture of the Virgin, 'Behold her who protects us. Fear nothing : we shall reach Chang-hai, and we shall see our bishop.' He spoke truth : shortly they descried a Chinese junk. The master of it, on the promise of a good round sum, undertook to guide them to their destination.

   1848, “Letter of Andrew Kim-Hai-Kim, Corean Deacon, to the Reverend Doctor Libois, Procurator of Foreign Missions at Macao”, in United States Catholic Magazine and Monthly Review, volume 7, →OCLC, page 464

   Synonyms: Virgin Mary

2. astrologyThe constellation and zodiacal sign Virgo.

   In Autumpne, whan the sonne in vyrgyne / By radyante hete enryped hath our corne […]

   1499, John Skelton, The Bowge of Court

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   When the bright Virgin gives the beauteous Days, / And Libra weighs in equal Scales the Year […].

   a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Autumn”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC

   The lion is coming, leaping forth, his foot over the head of the serpent Hydra. The virgin holds in one hand a palm-branch, in the other an ear of corn.

   1862, [Frances Rolleston], Mazzaroth, or, The Constellations, London: Rivingtons, page 55

   The Ram, the Bull, the heavenly Twins, And next the Crab, the Lion shines, The Virgin and the Scales; The Scorpion, Archer, and Sea-Goat, The Man that carries the Water-pot, And Fish with glittering scales.

   1893, E. W. Bullinger, Witness of the Stars, London: The author, page 16

   At the moment then when Sirius, the star from the East, by coming to the Meridian at midnight signalled the Sun's new birth, the Virgin was seen just rising on the Eastern sky - the horizon line passing through her centre.

   1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 31

   While there are plenty of men among our constellations, there are only three women; but the Virgin makes up for this imbalance by being the second largest constellation and embodying the oldest of deities - the Earth Mother.

   1998, John H. Roger, “Origins of the ancient constellations: I. The Mesopotamian traditions”, in Journal of the British Astronomy Association, volume 108, number 1, page 26, column 2

   Synonyms: Maiden

3. rareA surname.
4. A tributary of the Colorado River in the states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona in the United States.
5. A town in Washington County, Utah.

plural Virgins

1. ChristianityA representation (picture, statue etc.) of Virgin Mary.

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   Of the forty-five floats presenting Virgins alone, two are preeminent and the subject of such veneration that even the most casual observer must reflect on the fact that Holy Week, which commemorates Christ's passion and death, has become in Spain a celebration in which he plays a secondary role, with his mother becoming the central figure.

   1968, James A. Michener, “Sevilla”, in Iberia, New York, NY: Dial Press, published 2015, →ISBN, page 317