maiden in virgin

Virgin" and "Maiden" redirect here. For other uses, see Virgin (disambiguation) and Maiden (disambiguation).

In Roman times, the Vestal Virgins remained celibate for 30 years on penalty of death.

A virgin (or maiden) is, originally, a young woman of age to be married. More popularly a young woman characterized by absence of sexual experience (see Etymology). Virginity is the state of being a virgin (never had vaginal intercourse). The word is also often used with wider reference by relaxing the age, gender or sexual criteria.^[1] Hence, more mature women can be virgins (The Virgin Queen), men can be virgins (The 40 Year-Old Virgin), and potential initiates into many fields can be colloquially termed virgins, for example a skydiving "virgin". In the last usage, virgin simply means uninitiated, i.e. unmarried.

Also by extension from its primary sense, the idea that a virgin has an emotional "blank slate",^[2] without complications for her potential intimate emotional life with men,^[2] leads to the abstraction of unadulterated purity (see below). Hence, virgin can even be used with non-human referents. Unalloyed metal is sometimes described as virgin.^[1] Some cocktails can be described as virgin, when lacking the alcoholic admixture.^[1] Similarly, olive oil may be called virgin if it contains no refined oil and has an acidity below 2%, or extra-virgin if it comes from a cold pressing with an acidity below .08%.^[1]

The last instance also incorporates yet another association of virginity—the notability of its loss. More properly, the association is with the significance of the addition of a new status, rather than a loss. Hence this association is typically found in references to the first instance of a potentially extended series of like events. Just as extra-virgin olive oil is from the first pressing, so a maiden or virgin speech is an incumbent's first address. The same metaphor, using the synonym maiden, is applied to the first or maiden voyage of a ship. A woman's maiden name is the surname she had when she was (presumed to be) a virgin—her first surname. In cricket, a maiden over is an over from which no runs were scored. Maiden Castles are those with the reputation of never having been captured.

Wool can be virgin.^[1] Computer systems can be virgin.^[3] Unfertilized gametes can be virgin.^[1] Females of various species, by analogy with Homo sapiens, if they have never mated, can also be called virgin.^[1]

Chastity is a near synonym of virginity,^[1] the distinction being that chastity views sexual integrity in terms of faithfulness to a spouse, rather than as absolute inexperience. Sexual jealousy is a recurrent theme throughout the history of literature. Virginity derives its significance from this context, because it distinguishes between unmarried women who have had no sexual partners and those who have.