maiden
/ˈmeɪdn/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmeɪdn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmā-dᵊn/ (ame, mw) · /ˈmeɪ.dən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmeɪ.dən/ (ame, ipa)
maiden — noun
- maidensingular
- maidensplural
1. a young woman, especially one who is not yet married — a word that today sounds
a young woman, especially one who is not yet married — a word that today sounds very old-fashioned and is mainly found in stories, historical novels, and folk tales
In a Welsh legend, a knight searches for a maiden trapped inside a glass castle.
old-fashioned register; often in folk tales
Gita's grandmother told them stories of brave maidens who saved their villages from floods.
The portrait shows a Scottish maiden wearing a blue dress and a pearl necklace.
Adisa read of a poor maiden who wed a prince after a long journey.
Tamar dressed as an Elizabethan maiden for the school play and recited a poem.
- girl
modern and neutral; the everyday replacement for 'maiden'
- young woman
more respectful and current than 'maiden'
- lass
informal and Northern British/Scottish, similar old-fashioned flavour
文法句型
adjective + maiden
maiden + verb
用法筆記
In modern everyday English, girl or young woman is preferred. Maiden survives mainly in historical fiction, fairy tales, and fixed phrases such as damsel in distress.
常見錯誤
2. when a bowler delivers six balls and the opposing team scores no runs from them
when a bowler delivers six balls and the opposing team scores no runs from them — used in cricket
The bowler raised his arms after bowling his first maiden in a professional match.
collocation: bowl a maiden
Minho bowled two maidens in a row, and the batting team grew frustrated.
A top bowler can bowl four maidens during a single day of a test match.
The scoreboard showed three maidens out of the first ten overs bowled in the afternoon.
- maiden over
the fuller form of the term
文法句型
maiden + verb
a maiden
bowl a maiden
用法筆記
This term is used exclusively in cricket. The full expression is maiden over, though maiden alone is common in sports commentary.
maiden — adjective
- maidenpositive
- more maidencomparative
- most maidensuperlative
1. being the first time something happens or is used — used only before a noun to d
being the first time something happens or is used — used only before a noun to describe a first journey, public appearance, or performance of something new
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1912.
common collocation: maiden voyage (first journey of a ship)
The newly elected president gave her maiden speech to the nation on television.
common collocation: maiden speech (first public speech)
Evelyn's maiden novel won a major award for first-time writers in the UK.
The airline celebrated the maiden flight of its new Taipei–Vancouver route last Friday.
Cole's maiden attempt at climbing the mountain ended halfway up due to bad weather.
文法句型
maiden + noun (voyage, flight, speech, etc.)
用法筆記
Maiden can only appear before a noun (attributive position). You cannot say 'The voyage was maiden.' Common fixed phrases include maiden voyage (ship's first trip), maiden flight (aircraft's first trip), maiden speech (a politician's first major speech), and maiden name (a woman's family name before marriage).