vestal

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English

Etymology

From Latin Vesta, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes-. More at was.

Pronunciation

Adjective

vestal (not comparable)

  1. Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth.
  2. 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

Noun

vestal (plural vestals)

  1. 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.
  2. A female virgin; a woman who has never had sexual relations.
  3. A nun.

Derived terms

Translations

virgin consecrated to Vesta — see vestal virgin

Anagrams

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /besˈtal/
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: ves‧tal

Adjective

vestal m or f (masculine and feminine plural vestales)

  1. vestal (of or relating to Vesta)
  2. vestal (pure, chaste)

Noun

vestal f (plural vestales)

  1. vestal (virgin)

Further reading

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