Etymology From Middle English virgine, from Old French virgine, from Latin virginem, accusative of virgō. Doublet of Virgo. Displaced native Old English fǣmne.
1
A person who has never had sexual intercourse, or (uncommonly) an animal that has never mated.
On the other hand, the daughter of a clergyman repeatedly performed fellatio instead of genital intercourse so that she could remain a virgin.1970 Marriage in Life and Literature page 169
Could I convert virgins to nymphomania? Masturbators to rakehood? Faithful wives to adulteresses? Seducers to ascetics? Very doubtful. But possible.1971, George Cockcroft aka Luke Rhinehart, The Dice Man:
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As the years went on she became extraordinarily effective at fellatio but, despite the fact that she was Mrs James Baylor, age 32, she was still a virgin.1974, The New Review, Volume 1, Part Page 15:
among students we studied , 60 % of the virgin females had had oral sex experience1987 Psychology and Personal Growthpage 208
A girl is a virgin until she experience penis-inside-vagina intercourse1988 page 186
26 percent of virgin females have performed fellatio while 87 percent of nonvirgins have done so .1992, Cosmopolitan, volume 212, page 177:
2
A person who has never engaged in any sexual activity at all.
3
Catholicism, Christianity Someone vowed to virginity (usually a woman and often a consecrated virgin), or someone who died in defense of their virginity; (especially) one venerated as a saint.
Orthodoxy or historical
In its list of saints, the Catholic Church classifies St. Agnes, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux as virgins.
This was the relation of the order of virgins to the Church from the latter part of the fourth to the beginning of the seventh century. The modern “sister” had no exact prototype in the Church of the first seven centuries.1894, Authorized Report of the Proceedings of the ... Congress of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States ..., page 109:
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The list of saints' days and festivals includes a number of the Romish holidays, properly so called, viz.: Lucian, priest and martyr, Jan. 8 ; Hilary, bishop and confessor, Jan. 13 ; Prisca, virgin and martyr, Jan. 18 ; Fabian, bishop and martyr, Jan. 20 ; Agnes, virgin and martyr, Jan. 21 […]1894, John McClintock, James Strong, Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, page 26:
It is evident that those from the priesthood are chiefly taken from the order of virgins, or if not from virgins, at least from monks; or if not from the order of monks, then they are wont to be made priests who keep themselves from their wives […].1900, A Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church: Second Series, page 366:
It ought to have become apparent, however, that the well-established order of widows was the model for the newly developing order of virgins. Both orders earned their legitimization from the way of life adopted by their members […]1994, Susanna Elm, `Virgins of God' : The Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity: The Making of Asceticism in Late Antiquity, Clarendon Press, →ISBN, page 174:
According to Jerome's account, a young man, who desired to seduce a consecrated virgin of the church, at first attempted to do so through the standard means of seduction: namely, “with touching, jokes, nods, whistles, and the rest” (Vit. Hil. 21.2670–75).2007, Todd C. Penner, Caroline Vander Stichele, Mapping Gender in Ancient Religious Discourses, BRILL, →ISBN, page 89:
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Informal One who has never used or experienced a specified thing.
I've never eaten tofu before—you could say I'm a tofu virgin.
5
Any of several species of gossamer-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae.
6
Biology, Entomology, Natural sciences A female insect producing eggs from which young are hatched, though there has been no fecundation by a male; a parthenogenetic insect.
Etymology From Middle English virgine, from Old French virgine, from Latin virginem, accusative of virgō. Doublet of Virgo. Displaced native Old English fǣmne.
1
Usually In a state of virginity; chaste, not having had sexual intercourse.
Innocence and virgin Modestie […] / That would be woo’d, and not unsought be won1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
He was now about twenty-three years old, and, though still virgin, the sex instinct that Miriam had over refined for so long now grew particularly strong.1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:
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From their embraces was born the handsome Actaeon, a naive boy, who had less excuse than other men, given that he was her son, for believing her to be a virgin. It's true that he was even more virgin than his mother.1988, Hubert Monteilhet, Neropolis:
Helvidius […] took the plain meaning of scripture to say that Jesus patently had brothers and sisters, so therefore his mother, Mary, had enjoyed a normal family life rather than remaining perpetually virgin.2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 314:
2
Of a physical object, untouched.
The white cold virgin snow upon my heart / Abates the ardour of my liver.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:
There is something about virgin sand which arouses all the worst instincts of the detective-story writer. One feels an irresisitible impulse to go and make footprints all over it.1932, Dorothy L Sayers, chapter 1, in Have his Carcase:
3
Not yet cultivated, explored, or exploited by humans or humans of certain civilizations.
virgin prairie
virgin ecosystem
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virgin forest
virgin clay
The virgin lands of the Americas were awaiting the Europeans.
The same bounty of Summer, the same milde remission of Winter, with a more virgin and unexhausted soyle being materiall arguments to shew that modesty and truth receive no diminution by the comparison.1650, Edward Williams, Virginia: More Especially the South Part Thereof:
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Inexperienced.
The woman shook dangerously, an obvious virgin gunhandler.2014, Jeremiah Sanchez, Eden's Scarecrow: Real Eyes:
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Of olive oil, obtained by mechanical means, so that the oil is not altered.
Wondering how some oil is somehow more virgin than regular virgin olive oil can be a real head-scratcher.2013, Cheryl Forberg, Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies, page 62:
Etymology From virgin, q.v. The sense of Mary, mother of Jesus, comes from the Christian belief in Jesus's virgin birth and Mary's freedom from sin. The river sense derives from the name of Thomas Virgin, a member of the first American party to see the river, led by Jedediah Smith in 1826. The town sense derives from the name of the river, along which it is located.
1
Christianity, Art, Arts A representation (picture, statue etc.) of Virgin Mary.
Of the forty-five floats presenting Virgins alone, two are preeminent and the subject of such veneration that even the most casual observer must reflect on the fact that Holy Week, which commemorates Christ's passion and death, has become in Spain a celebration in which he plays a secondary role, with his mother becoming the central figure.1968, James A. Michener, “Sevilla”, in Iberia, New York, NY: Dial Press, published 2015, →ISBN, page 317: