Vestal
[vestl]
Definition
(noun.) a chaste woman.
(adj.) of or relating to Vesta; 'vestal virgin' .
Edited by Enrico--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth; hence, pure; chaste.
(a.) 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.) A virgin; a woman pure and chaste; also, a nun.
Editor: Luke
Examples
- She drove out solemnly in their great family coach with them, and Miss Wirt their governess, that raw-boned Vestal. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- She lost her gaiety, she laid aside her sports, and assumed an almost vestal plainness of attire. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- She was the most hospitable and jovial of old vestals, and had been a beauty in her day, she said. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
Checker: Lowell