maidenhood

English

Etymology

From Middle English maydenhode, meidenhod, maȝdenhad, from Old English mæġdenhād (“maidenhood”), equivalent to maiden +‎ -hood.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪd(ə)nhʊd/

Noun

maidenhood (countable and uncountable, plural maidenhoods)

1. (uncountable) The condition of being a maiden; the time when one is a maiden or young girl.
   • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, “iij”, in Le Morte Darthur, book XI:
     :

     Thenne she said my lord sir launcelot I biseche yow see me as soone as ye may / for I haue obeyed me vnto the prophecy that my fader teld me / And by his commaūdement to fulfille this prophecy I haue gyuen the grettest rychesse and the fayrest floure that euer I had / and that is my maydenhode that I shalle neuer haue ageyne / and therfore gentyl knyȝt owe me youre good wille

2. A woman's virginity or maidenhead.
3. Freshness; newness.

Synonyms

• maidhood

Related terms

• maidenhead

Translations

condition of being maiden

• Breton: gwerc'hted
• Dutch: maagdelijkheid (nl)
• Finnish: neitsyys (fi)
• French: virginité (fr)
• German: Jungfräulichkeit (de) f
• Irish: iníonacht f, iníonas m, iníonas m, maighdeanas m

  Old Irish: ingenas m, maigdenas m

• Latin: virginitās f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Manx: moidynys f
• Polish: dziewictwo (pl) n
• Portuguese: donzelice f, donzelia f
• Russian: деви́чество (ru) n (devíčestvo)
• Scottish Gaelic: òigheachd f, maighdeannas m
• Telugu: కన్నెరికము (te) (kannerikamu)
• Welsh: gwyryfdod m, morwyndod m

maidenhead

• Finnish: neitsyys (fi), immenkalvo (fi)
• Irish: maighdeanas m, ócht f

  Old Irish: maigdenas m

• Manx: moidynys f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: де́вственность (ru) f (dévstvennostʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: maighdeannas m
• Spanish: virginidad (es), doncellez f