vestal virgin
noun
1
: a virgin consecrated to the Roman goddess Vesta and to the service of watching the sacred fire perpetually kept burning on her altar
2
: a chaste woman
Examples of vestal virgin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The women wear white dresses with sashes that tie at the back, like vestal virgins presented as tribute.
—
Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Elsewhere, Cala’s plan to employ the new vestal virgin matron to free her remaining son and daughter falls on deaf ears.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
These women are not just queens and princesses, but also vestal virgins and whores, traitors and patriots, saintly martyrs, savvy businesswomen, informers, poets, and rebels.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Russell and his mission colleagues named the crater Rheasilvia, after a vestal virgin in Roman mythology.
—Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2012
To mark the legendary founding of the city and its past glory, there is usually a crowded birthday parade of re-enactors dressed up as gladiators and vestal virgins.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 1 May 2020
The vestal virgins, who maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, were the Beyhive of their day.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2019
The vestal virgins, whose images appear on coins and friezes in Mr. MacGregor’s pages, held the high responsibility of keeping the Roman national hearth alight.
—Andrew Stark, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2018
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Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024
Elsewhere, Cala’s plan to employ the new vestal virgin matron to free her remaining son and daughter falls on deaf ears.
—Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 18 July 2024
These women are not just queens and princesses, but also vestal virgins and whores, traitors and patriots, saintly martyrs, savvy businesswomen, informers, poets, and rebels.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Nov. 2023
Russell and his mission colleagues named the crater Rheasilvia, after a vestal virgin in Roman mythology.
—Tim Folger, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2012
To mark the legendary founding of the city and its past glory, there is usually a crowded birthday parade of re-enactors dressed up as gladiators and vestal virgins.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 1 May 2020
The vestal virgins, who maintained the sacred fire of Vesta, the goddess of hearth and home, were the Beyhive of their day.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2019
The vestal virgins, whose images appear on coins and friezes in Mr. MacGregor’s pages, held the high responsibility of keeping the Roman national hearth alight.
—Andrew Stark, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2018
Dictionary Entries Near vestal virgin
Cite this Entry
“Vestal virgin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vestal%20virgin. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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