virgin

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   Someone who has never had sex.

   Grammar: A countable noun: she is a virgin, they are virgins.

   Patterns

   • be a virgin

   In the novel, the young bride was still a virgin on her wedding night.

   Some cultures place great importance on a person remaining a virgin until marriage.

   The comedy joked about a man in his thirties who was embarrassed to admit he was a virgin.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Not yet used, touched or spoiled; still in its original, natural condition.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: virgin snow, not snow that is virgin.

   Patterns

   • virgin territory
   • virgin forest

   The hikers walked across virgin snow where nobody had left footprints.

   Large areas of virgin rainforest are cut down every year.

   The explorers believed they had reached virgin land that no European had seen.

3. 3adjectivebefore a noun

   Describing a product, such as oil or wool, that is made from the first pressing or from new material rather than recycled material.

   Grammar: Always used before the noun it describes: virgin olive oil.

   Patterns

   • virgin olive oil
   • virgin wool

   I dress my salad with virgin olive oil because it has a stronger flavor.

   The jacket is made from virgin wool, not recycled fibers.

   Making packaging from virgin plastic uses more oil than using recycled material.

4. 4nounsingularreligion

   In Christian tradition, a title for Mary, the mother of Jesus, often written with a capital letter.

   Grammar: Usually written the Virgin or the Virgin Mary with capitals.

   Patterns

   • the Virgin Mary

   A painting of the Virgin hangs above the altar in the old chapel.

   Pilgrims travel to the shrine to pray to the Virgin.

   The church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the twelfth century.

Word forms

Common combinations

virgin territory

For the start-up, the rural market was virgin territory.

virgin snow

The skier made the first tracks in the virgin snow.

extra virgin olive oil

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the bread.

virgin forest

Only a small patch of virgin forest survives on the island.

virgin voyage

The ship sank on her virgin voyage.

Synonyms and how they differ

untouched

Untouched is more general; it says something has not been handled or changed, while virgin often suggests natural wilderness.

pristine

Pristine stresses spotless, perfect cleanliness, whereas virgin stresses that nobody has used or exploited the thing before.

unspoiled

Unspoiled focuses on the absence of damage, especially in landscapes, and is slightly softer than virgin.

new

New simply means recently made, while virgin implies something never previously used, mined or entered.

Opposites

Word family

virginity noun

the state of never having had sex

virginal adjective

pure, innocent, or like a virgin

virginally adverb

in a pure or untouched way

Virginia proper noun

the US state named after Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen

Commonly confused: virgin or virgin vs. extra virgin?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “virgin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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