vestal
noun
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L330104 on Wikidata ↗adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L342366 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈvɛs.t(ə)l/
adj
Etymology: Etymology tree Latin Vestālislbor. English vestal Learned borrowing from Latin Vestālis.
- Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth.
- Pure; chaste.
“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.”
noun
Etymology: Etymology tree Latin Vestālislbor. English vestal Learned borrowing from Latin Vestālis.
- 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.