maiden
gb/mˈeɪdən/ us/mˈeɪdən/
B2
English
~ 10000
első, bemutatkozó, leány, leányzó, hajadon, nyeretlen ló, nyeretlen, szűz over, futás nélküli over
B2
1
első
A1
bemutatkozó
B2
Usage pattern:
maiden [noun]
The ship sank on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic.
A hajó elsüllyedt az Atlanti-óceánon tett első útján.
In his maiden speech to parliament, he promised major reforms.
Bemutatkozó parlamenti beszédében jelentős reformokat ígért.
The airline celebrated the maiden flight of its new aircraft.
She is hoping for her maiden win on the professional tennis tour.
The band's maiden album quickly became a cult favorite.
Learner examples
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.
A Titanic az első útján süllyedt el.
He was very nervous before his maiden speech in Congress.
Nagyon ideges volt a kongresszusi bemutatkozó beszéde előtt.
The company invited reporters to watch the plane's maiden flight.
The driver took his maiden win in only his third race.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes try to use 'maiden' to mean 'first' in everyday situations (e.g., 'my maiden day at work'). This sounds strange; use 'first day' instead. 'Maiden' is mostly used in fixed phrases like 'maiden voyage' or 'maiden speech'. Learners may also confuse this sense with the 'young woman' meaning, which is now rare and literary.
Meaning
happening for the first time
Collocations
maiden voyage
|maiden speech
|maiden flight
|maiden win
|maiden title
|maiden album
Synonyms
first (The most common general word; 'maiden' is more formal or used in set phrases.)
Antonyms
final (Describes the last time something happens, opposite of a first time.)
Themes
media
|travel
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Happening for the first time, especially a trip, speech, game, or other public event.
Happening for the first time, especially used for a journey, performance, speech, or achievement.
NOUN
C1
LITERARY
2
Usage pattern:
a maiden
The hero vowed to rescue the fair maiden from the tower.
A hős megfogadta, hogy kiszabadítja a szép leányzót a toronyból.
In the painting, a maiden stands alone by the river.
A festményen egy leányzó áll egyedül a folyóparton.
Many folk songs tell of a maiden waiting for her lover to return from war.
The story follows a young maiden who defies tradition to choose her own path.
Learner examples
The knight wanted to save the maiden from danger.
A lovag meg akarta menteni a leányzót a veszélytől.
In the old story, a maiden waits by the sea.
A régi történetben egy leányzó vár a tengerparton.
The painter shows a maiden in a long white dress.
The song is about a lonely maiden in the forest.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'maiden' instead of 'girl' or 'young woman' in normal conversation. This sounds old-fashioned or poetic in modern English. Use 'girl' or 'young woman' for everyday speech, and reserve 'maiden' for stories, fantasy, or when you want a very literary effect.
Meaning
young unmarried woman
Collocations
fair maiden
|young maiden
|beautiful maiden
|village maiden
|maiden in distress
Synonyms
young woman (A neutral, modern term; does not carry the old-fashioned or romantic tone of 'maiden'.)
Antonyms
wife (A woman who is married, contrasting with an unmarried 'maiden'.)
Themes
people
|relationships
|literature
|arts_entertainment
Definition
A young woman who is not married, used mostly in old stories or very formal language.
A young woman, especially one who has never been married; used mainly in literary, historical, or fantasy contexts.
C2
ARCHAIC
3
hajadon
C1
Usage pattern:
maiden [female relative]
She lived a quiet life as a maiden aunt in the family home.
Hajadon nagynéniként csendes életet élt a családi házban.
His three maiden sisters shared the large house between them.
Három hajadon nővére közösen lakta a nagy házat.
The will left a small allowance to his maiden cousin.
In the novel, a maiden daughter is expected to care for her parents.
Learner examples
His maiden aunt never married.
Hajadon nagynénje soha nem ment férjhez.
In the old book, two maiden sisters live together.
A régi könyvben két hajadon nővér él együtt.
The family depends on their maiden daughter for help.
The maiden cousin looks after the children in the story.
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use 'maiden' before many nouns like 'maiden woman' or 'maiden girl'. This sounds wrong in modern English. This sense survives mainly in fixed phrases like 'maiden aunt'. In normal speech, use 'single' or 'unmarried' instead.
Meaning
unmarried (of a woman)
Collocations
maiden aunt
|maiden sister
|maiden lady
|maiden daughter
Synonyms
unmarried (Neutral and modern; can describe any adult without a spouse, not only women.)
Antonyms
married (Describes someone who has a husband or wife, the opposite of 'maiden' in this sense.)
Themes
relationships
|social
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Describes a woman who has never had a husband, used in very old or formal English.
Describing a woman who has never been married; used in older or very traditional styles of English.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
4
nyeretlen ló
C1
nyeretlen
C1
Usage pattern:
[a horse] is a maiden
The three-year-old is still a maiden after six starts.
A hároméves hat indulás után is nyeretlen.
She finally broke her maiden in a low-level claiming race.
Végül egy alacsony szintű claimingversenyben megszerezte első győzelmét.
The trainer believes the colt is the best maiden in the yard.
He specializes in improving older maidens who have shown promise.
Learner examples
The horse is a maiden and has not won yet.
A ló még nyeretlen, vagyis még nem nyert futamot.
He hopes his new horse will break its maiden soon.
Azt reméli, hogy új lova hamarosan megszerzi az első győzelmét.
She watches a race only for maidens at the local track.
The trainer wants to find an easy race for his maiden.
Common mistake:
Learners outside horse racing may misunderstand 'maiden' here as 'young woman'. In racing news or betting contexts, 'a maiden' almost always means a horse with no wins, not a person.
Meaning
racehorse with no wins
Collocations
a maiden
|maiden race
|maiden hurdle
|maiden stakes
Synonyms
winless horse (An explanatory phrase; less technical and not a fixed racing term.)
Antonyms
winner (Any horse that has won a race, the opposite status of a 'maiden'.)
Themes
sports
|gambling
|animals
Definition
In horse racing, a horse that has never won a race.
In horse racing, a horse that has not yet won a race.
NOUN
C2
TECHNICAL
5
szűz over
C2
Usage pattern:
to bowl a maiden
The fast bowler opened with two maidens to build early pressure.
A gyorsdobó két szűz overrel kezdett, hogy már korán nyomás alá helyezze az ellenfelet.
She bowled a maiden after being hit for ten runs in her first over.
Az első overében kapott tíz futás után a következőben szűz overt dobott.
A maiden at this stage of the chase could turn the game around.
He has already delivered three maidens in his spell.
Learner examples
The bowler bowls a maiden and the crowd cheers.
A dobó szűz overt dob, és a tömeg ujjong.
He starts the match with a maiden over.
A meccset egy szűz overrel kezdi.
They need runs, but the bowler sends down a maiden.
She is happy because she bowled two maidens today.
Common mistake:
Learners may not realize that in cricket, 'a maiden' on its own means 'a maiden over'. It always refers to bowling, not to a person, in this context.
Meaning
cricket over with no runs
Collocations
bowl a maiden
|maiden over
|tight maiden
|two maidens in a row
Synonyms
maiden over (The more explicit fixed phrase; 'maiden' alone is often short for this.)
Antonyms
expensive over (A bowling over that concedes many runs, opposite in effect to a maiden.)
Themes
sports
Definition
In cricket, an over where the batting team does not score any runs at all.
In cricket, an over in which the batting side scores no runs from the bat, and no wides or no-balls are bowled.
Grammar
Dictionary form
maiden
IPA
GB/mˈeɪdən/
US/mˈeɪdən/
Syllables & stress
maid - en (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (maid)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: maiden
Noun
- Base: maiden
- Plural: maidens
Word family
Forms
maidens
noun
Core family
maid
noun A2
Related words
maidenly
adjective
Advanced or less common
maidenhood
noun
Expressions
fair maiden
1/fˈɛɹ mˈeɪdən/
fixed phrase
literary
pretty young unmarried woman
A young unmarried woman who is called pretty or beautiful, used in old stories and poems.
Examples
- The ballad tells of a knight and a fair maiden.
- Painters often showed fair maidens in flowing dresses.
- He jokingly referred to his date as a 'fair maiden'.
maiden aunt
1/mˈeɪdən ˈænt/
fixed phrase
literary
unmarried aunt
An aunt who has never married, especially in old-fashioned or storybook descriptions.
Examples
- He grew up in the care of a strict maiden aunt.
- The old house was left to a lonely maiden aunt.
- In many novels, the maiden aunt is a quiet, watching figure.
maiden flight
1/mˈeɪdən flˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
first flight of new aircraft
The first time a new airplane, rocket, or similar vehicle flies.
Examples
- The jet's maiden flight lasted just over two hours.
- Engineers were on board to monitor systems during the maiden flight.
- The rocket's maiden flight was delayed due to bad weather.
maiden name
1/mˈeɪdən nˈeɪm/
fixed phrase
a woman's birth surname
The last name a woman had before she got married, if she later changed her name.
Examples
- Please write your maiden name as it appears on your birth certificate.
- She kept her maiden name after the wedding for professional reasons.
- The form asks for both your current surname and your maiden name.
maiden over
1/mˈeɪdən ˈoʊvɚ/
fixed phrase
technical
cricket over with no runs
In cricket, an over where the batting team does not score any runs at all.
Examples
- The bowler opened with a tight maiden over.
- A maiden over at this stage puts huge pressure on the batting side.
- She settled her nerves by delivering a maiden over straight away.
maiden speech
1/mˈeɪdən spˈit͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
formal
first formal speech in office
The first serious or official speech that a person gives in a new job, especially in a parliament.
Examples
- The new MP delivered her maiden speech to a packed chamber.
- He used his maiden speech to call for urgent climate action.
- Traditionally, a maiden speech is not interrupted by hostile questions.
maiden title
1/mˈeɪdən tˈaɪtəl/
fixed phrase
first championship title
The first big competition or season title that someone or a team wins.
Examples
- The victory secured her maiden Grand Slam title.
- They are hoping to claim their maiden league title this year.
- He finally lifted his maiden world title after years of trying.
maiden win
1/mˈeɪdən wˈɪn/
fixed phrase
first victory in competition
The first time a player, team, or horse wins a game, race, or other competition.
Examples
- She took her maiden win on the World Cup circuit last season.
- The driver celebrated his maiden win in Formula One.
- The team is still looking for its maiden win of the campaign.
maiden voyage
1/mˈeɪdən vˈɔɪɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
first journey of a ship etc.
The first trip that a new ship, boat, or sometimes another vehicle makes.
Examples
- The ship sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.
- The luxury liner sank on its maiden voyage.
- The airline celebrated the maiden voyage of its new plane.
- Thousands of people watched the ferry's maiden voyage across the bay.
- The spacecraft completed its maiden voyage without any major problems.