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.
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