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virgin

 [vur-jin]   Origin

vir·gin

   [vur-jin]
noun
1.
a person who has never had sexual intercourse.
2.
an unmarried girl or woman.
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.
EXPAND
6.
a female animal that has never copulated.
7.
an unfertilized insect.
8.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the constellation or sign of virgo.
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adjective
9.
being a virgin: a virgin martyr.
10.
of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a virgin: virgin modesty.
11.
pure; unsullied; undefiled: virgin snow.
12.
first: the senator's virgin speech.
13.
without admixture, alloy, or modification: virgin gold.
EXPAND
14.
not previously exploited, cultivated, tapped, or used: virgin timberlands; virgin wool.
15.
without experience of; not previously exposed to: a mind virgin to such sorrows.
16.
Informal. being a mixed drink resembling a specific cocktail but made without any alcoholic ingredient: a virgin piña colada.
17.
Zoology. not fertilized.
18.
(of a metal) made directly from ore by smelting, rather than from scrap.
19.
noting the oil obtained, as from olives, by the first pressing without the application of heat.
COLLAPSE
Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English virgine < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin virgin-, stem of virgō maiden, virgin

Related forms
un·vir·gin, adjective

Synonyms
2. maid, maiden. 11. chaste, unpolluted. 13. unalloyed, unadulterated. 14. fresh, new.

Antonyms
11. defiled. 13. mixed, adulterated.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
virgin (ˈvɜːdʒɪn)
 
—n
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
 
—adj
6.  of, relating to, resembling, suitable for, or characteristic of a virgin or virgins; chaste
7.  pure and natural, uncorrupted, unsullied, or untouched: virgin purity
8.  not yet cultivated, explored, exploited, etc, by man: virgin territories
9.  being the first or happening for the first time
10.  (of vegetable oils) obtained directly by the first pressing of fruits, leaves, or seeds of plants without applying heat
11.  (of a metal) made from an ore rather than from scrap
12.  occurring naturally in a pure and uncombined form: virgin silver
13.  physics (of a neutron) not having experienced a collision
 
[C13: from Old French virgine, from Latin virgō virgin]

Virgin1 (ˈvɜːdʒɪn)
 
—n
1.  the Virgin See Virgin Mary
2.  a statue or other artistic representation of the Virgin Mary

Virgin2 (ˈvɜːdʒɪn)
 
—n
the Virgin the constellation Virgo, the sixth sign of the zodiac

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

virgin
c.1200, "unmarried or chaste woman noted for religious piety and having a position of reverence in the Church," from O.Fr. virgine, from L. virginem (nom. virgo) "maiden, unwedded girl or woman," also an adj., "fresh, unused," probably related to virga "young shoot." For sense evolution, cf. Gk. talis
EXPAND
"a marriageable girl," cognate with L. talea "rod, stick, bar." Meaning "young woman in a state of inviolate chastity" is recorded from c.1300. Also applied since early 14c. to a chaste man. Meaning "naive or inexperienced person" is attested from 1953. The adj. is recorded from 1550s in the literal sense; figurative sense of "pure, untainted" is attested from c.1300.
Distraught pretty girl: "I've lost my virginity!"
Benny Hill: "Do you still have the box it came in?"
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

virgin vir·gin (vûr'jĭn)
n.
A person who has not experienced sexual intercourse.

vir'gin·al (-jə-nəl) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

virgin definition


Unused; pristine; in a known initial state. "Let's bring up a virgin system and see if it crashes again." (Especially useful after contracting a virus through SEX.) Also, by extension, buffers and the like within a program that have not yet been used.
[Jargon File]
(1994-11-30)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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Easton
Bible Dictionary

Virgin definition


In a prophecy concerning our Lord, Isaiah (7:14) says, "A virgin [R.V. marg., 'the virgin'] shall conceive, and bear a son" (comp. Luke 1:31-35). The people of the land of Zidon are thus referred to by Isaiah (23:12), "O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon;" and of the people of Israel, Jeremiah (18:13) says, "The virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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