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celibate - 4 dictionary results
cel⋅i⋅bate
[sel-uh-bit, -beyt] 
ə
–noun
| 1. | a person who abstains from sexual relations. |
| 2. | a person who remains unmarried, esp. for religious reasons. |
–adjective
| 3. | observing or pertaining to sexual abstention or a religious vow not to marry. |
| 4. | not married. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To celibate
| cel·i·bate (sěl'ə-bĭt) n.
[Latin caelibātus, from caelebs, caelib-, unmarried.] Usage Note: Historically, celibate means only "unmarried"; its use to mean "abstaining from sexual intercourse" is a 20th-century development. But the new sense of the word seems to have displaced the old, and the use of celibate to mean "unmarried" is now almost sure to invite misinterpretation in other than narrowly ecclesiastical contexts. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejected the older use in the sentence He remained celibate [unmarried], although he engaged in sexual intercourse. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Celibate
Cel"i*bate\, n. [L. aelibatus, fr. caelebs unmarried, single.]1. Celibate state; celibacy. [Obs.] He . . . preferreth holy celibate before the estate of marrige. --Jer. Taylor. 2. One who is unmarried, esp. a bachelor, or one bound by vows not to marry.Celibate
Cel"i*bate\, a. Unmarried; single; as, a celibate state.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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