Virgen

Virgen is the Spanish noun meaning "virgin." It derives from the Latin virgo and shares cognates in other Romance languages. In ordinary usage, it denotes an unmarried or chaste woman, but the term is most widely encountered in religious and cultural contexts.

In Catholic and other Christian traditions, "la Virgen" is a common title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. Marian devotion often uses specific appellations such as Virgen de Guadalupe, Virgen del Pilar, or Virgen de la Asunción, among many others. Feasts, pilgrimages, and images or statues of the Virgin Mary are central features of religious life in many Spanish-speaking communities.

The word also appears in geography and naming. "Virgen" and "La Virgen" are used in place names and in the names of churches, schools, or charitable organizations, as well as in surnames and family names in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking populations.

Linguistic notes: outside religious contexts, Virgen remains a common noun in Spanish, with the gendered form Virgen for feminine. In everyday speech, the term can have sexual or moral connotations depending on context, so usage is sensitive to audience.