maiden

maiden — noun

1. a young woman, especially one who is not yet married — a word that today sounds

1.nounB2
Definition

a young woman, especially one who is not yet married — a word that today sounds very old-fashioned and is mainly found in stories, historical novels, and folk tales

Example

In a Welsh legend, a knight searches for a maiden trapped inside a glass castle.

old-fashioned register; often in folk tales

Gita's grandmother told them stories of brave maidens who saved their villages from floods.

Common collocations
  • fair maiden
  • beautiful maiden
  • young maiden
  • Scottish maiden
  • poor maiden
Synonyms
  • girl

    modern and neutral; the everyday replacement for 'maiden'

  • young woman

    more respectful and current than 'maiden'

  • lass

    informal and Northern British/Scottish, similar old-fashioned flavour

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

adjective + maiden

maiden + verb

Usage Note

In modern everyday English, girl or young woman is preferred. Maiden survives mainly in historical fiction, fairy tales, and fixed phrases such as damsel in distress.

Common Mistakes

She works as a maiden in the hotel.
She works as a maid in the hotel.
'maid' means a servant who cleans rooms; 'maiden' means a young woman and is old-fashioned.

2. when a bowler delivers six balls and the opposing team scores no runs from them

2.nounC1
Definition

when a bowler delivers six balls and the opposing team scores no runs from them — used in cricket

Example

The bowler raised his arms after bowling his first maiden in a professional match.

collocation: bowl a maiden

Minho bowled two maidens in a row, and the batting team grew frustrated.

Common collocations
  • bowl a maiden
  • maiden over
  • three maidens
  • consecutive maidens
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

maiden + verb

a maiden

bowl a maiden

Usage Note

This term is used exclusively in cricket. The full expression is maiden over, though maiden alone is common in sports commentary.

maiden — adjective

Word family

  • maid
    nounB1
  • maidenly
    adjectiveC2
  • maidenhood
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All three words describe something happening for the first time, but they differ in tone and typical context. First is the most neutral and widely used — you can use it in any situation (first flight, first speech, first book). Inaugural is much more formal and official, used for ceremonies and the opening of institutions (inaugural address, inaugural season). Debut is used mainly in arts, entertainment, and sports to describe a person's first public appearance (debut album, debut performance). Maiden sits between first and inaugural in formality and is restricted to a small set of fixed collocations: maiden voyage, maiden flight, and maiden speech. While you can say 'his first speech' about anyone, 'his maiden speech' specifically refers to a member of parliament's first formal address.

first ↗inauguraldebut ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • maiden voyage
  • maiden flight
  • maiden speech
  • maiden name
  • maiden over

Etymology

Old EnglishProto-GermanicEnglish

Maiden comes from Old English mægden, meaning 'young woman' or 'unmarried woman.' It is related to the German word Mädchen ('girl') and shares a root with the modern English word maid. The adjective usage meaning 'first' grew out of the idea that a maiden voyage or maiden speech is the 'first' of its kind — just as a maiden (young woman) is at the beginning of adult life.