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maiden
maiden archaic term for a young unmarried girl. Malcolm IV (1141–65), king of Scotland, was known as the Maiden; the Annals of Ulster praise him as a devoted Christian, but he was also an active and warlike king.
The maiden is also the name given to a form of the guillotine used in 16th and 17th century Scotland for beheading criminals of rank. According to tradition, it was introduced by James Douglas, Earl of Morton (d. 1581), Regent of Scotland, who was himself beheaded with it. the answer to a maiden's prayer an eligible bachelor. Maiden Castle a prehistoric site in Dorset, consisting of an enormous Iron Age earthwork surrounded by a series of ramparts; excavations in 1934–7 show that settlement there dated back to the Neolithic period. maiden speech the first speech delivered in the House of Commons or House of Lords by a Member, an expression dating from the early 18th century. See also Rhine maidens, swan maiden. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maiden." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maiden." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-maiden.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "maiden." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-maiden.html |
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maiden
maid·en / ˈmādn/ • n. 1. archaic or poetic/lit. a girl or young woman, esp. an unmarried one. ∎ a virgin. 2. (also maiden over) Cricket an over in which no runs are scored. • adj. 1. (of a woman, esp. an older one) unmarried: a maiden aunt. ∎ (of a female animal) unmated. 2. being or involving the first attempt or act of its kind: the ship's maiden voyage. ∎ denoting a horse that has never won a race, or a race intended for such horses. ∎ (of a tree or other fruiting plant) in its first year of growth. DERIVATIVES: maid·en·hood / -ˌhoŏd/ n. maid·en·ish adj. maid·en·like / -ˌlīk/ adj. maid·en·ly adj. |
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"maiden." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "maiden." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-maiden.html "maiden." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-maiden.html |
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maiden
maiden girl, young woman; virgin; female servant. OE. mæġden = OHG. magatīn :- Gmc *maʒadïnam, dim. (see -EN1), f. *magaþiz maid, virgin, which is repr. by OE. mæġ(e)ð, OS. magath, OHG. magad (G. magd), Goth. magaþs, and is rel. to Gmc. *maʒuz (OE., OS. magu, ON. mǫgr, Goth. magus son, young man), f. IE. *magh-, whence OIr. mug slave, Av. magu young man.
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T. F. HOAD. "maiden." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "maiden." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-maiden.html T. F. HOAD. "maiden." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-maiden.html |
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maiden
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-maiden.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Ecology. 2004. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O14-maiden.html |
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maiden
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-maiden.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "maiden." A Dictionary of Plant Sciences. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O7-maiden.html |
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Maiden
Maiden as affix, see main name, e.g. for Maiden Bradley (Wilts.) see Bradley.
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A. D. MILLS. "Maiden." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Maiden." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Maiden.html A. D. MILLS. "Maiden." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Maiden.html |
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maiden
maiden •Abaddon, gladden, gladdon, Ibadan, madden, sadden
•abandon, Brandon, Rwandan, Ugandan
•Baden, Baden-Baden, Coloradan, garden, harden, lardon, Nevadan, pardon
•Wiesbaden • bear garden
•tea garden
•Armageddon, deaden, leaden, redden
•Eldon, Sheldon
•Brendan, tendon
•Dresden
•Aden, Aidan, Haydn, laden, maiden
•handmaiden
•cedarn, cotyledon, dicotyledon, Eden, monocotyledon, Sweden
•wealden
•bestridden, forbidden, hidden, midden, outridden, ridden, stridden, unbidden
•Wimbledon
•linden, Lindon, Swindon
•Wisden • Mohammedan • Myrmidon
•harridan • hagridden • Sheridan
•bedridden • Macedon • Huntingdon
•Dryden, guidon, Leiden, Poseidon, Sidon, widen
•Culloden, hodden, modern, sodden, trodden
•Cobden • downtrodden
•Auden, broaden, cordon, Gordon, Hordern, Jordan, warden
•churchwarden • louden • bounden
•loden, Snowdon
•beholden, embolden, golden, olden
•hoyden • Bermudan • wooden
•Mukden • gulden • sudden
•Blunden, London
•Riordan • bourdon • bombardon
•celadon • Clarendon
•burden, guerdon
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"maiden." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "maiden." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-maiden.html "maiden." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-maiden.html |
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