Maiden

Maiden

Noun / Adjective · /ˈmeɪ.dən/

Definition

(Noun, archaic/poetic) an unmarried girl or young woman; a horse that has never won a race; (Adjective) being the first of its kind; not yet done or experienced — a maiden voyage, a maiden speech, a maiden over in cricket.

Origin

From Old English mægden (young woman, girl, virgin), from Proto-Germanic *magadinō. The word has been in English since the Old English period. In cricket, a maiden over is one in which no runs are scored — the over remaining virginal. The maiden voyage and maiden speech uses extend the original unmarried/untouched sense figuratively to mean first and untried.