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vestal. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
vestal, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
vestal in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
vestal you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Latin Vesta, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. More at was.
Pronunciation
Adjective
vestal (not comparable)
- Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth.
- Pure; chaste.
1820, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Oedipus Tyrannus; Or, Swellfoot The Tyrant: A Tragedy in Two Acts:Does money fail?—come to my mint—coin paper,
Till gold be at a discount, and ashamed
To show his bilious face, go purge himself,
In emulation of her vestal whiteness.
Translations
of or pertaining to Vesta
Noun
vestal (plural vestals)
- A virgin consecrated to Vesta, and to the service of watching the sacred fire, which was to be perpetually kept burning upon her altar; a vestal virgin.
- A female virgin; a woman who has never had sexual relations.
- A nun.
Derived terms
Translations
Anagrams
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /besˈtal/
- Rhymes: -al
- Syllabification: ves‧tal
Adjective
vestal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vestales)
- vestal (of or relating to Vesta)
- vestal (pure, chaste)
Noun
vestal f (plural vestales)
- vestal (virgin)
Further reading
Swedish
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Vestālis.
Noun
vestal c
- (historical) vestal virgin
Declension
Further reading