the.com/maiden

A title that survived from medieval romance to the precise moment a ship first touches water.

means A young unmarried woman or girl, or by extension something done or used for the very first time (as in a maiden voyage or maiden speech).

from From Old English 'mægden,' a diminutive form tied to 'mægð' meaning a maid or virgin, and a cousin of German 'Mädchen.' The Old English diminutive ending is the same little '-en' that shrinks a maid into a maiden. The 'first time' sense — maiden voyage, maiden over, maiden speech — grew from the older notion of something untouched and unused, much like the word's original sense of virginity.

cricket origin
A maiden over yields zero runs to the batsman.
iron maiden
The torture device likely never existed, invented for Victorian spectacle.
voyage word
Any first trip is a maiden voyage, ships included.
surname clue
Maiden name preserves identity erased by old marriage custom.
chess hill
Maiden castle is Britain's largest Iron Age hillfort.
for instance

iron maiden — british heavy metal band formed in 1975, known for albums like the number of the beast

maiden voyage of titanic — rms titanic's first and only voyage in april 1912, ended in sinking in north atlantic

maiden speech in parliament — traditional first speech by new mp in house of commons, ceremonial event in uk legislature

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