maiden

Maiden is a term with several related meanings in English. As a noun, it most commonly refers to a young, unmarried girl or woman. In older or more formal usage, it could imply virginity, but such connotations are now often considered archaic or sensitive when applied to adults. As an adjective, maiden describes something related to a girl or young woman, or something that is original or first of its kind, as in maiden voyage or maiden speech.

The word derives from Old English maġden, meaning girl or virgin, and is related to other Germanic terms for girl in several languages. It forms the basis for phrases such as maiden name, which is the surname a person was born with before marriage in many jurisdictions, and continues to appear in genealogical and legal contexts.

Maiden voyage refers to the first voyage of a ship or aircraft after construction, a usage common in maritime history. Notable examples include the 1912 maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic. In cricket, a maiden over is an over in which no runs are scored by the batting side.

In modern usage, the term is often avoided in formal descriptions of adult women for reasons of sensitivity, and alternatives such as “young woman” or “girl” (by age) are used. The term remains common in specific compound phrases such as “maiden name” and “maiden voyage.”