Old maid

Old maid
Maid Maid, n. [Shortened from maiden. ?. See {Maiden}.] 1. An unmarried woman; usually, a young unmarried woman; esp., a girl; a virgin; a maiden. [1913 Webster]

Would I had died a maid, And never seen thee, never borne thee son. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me. --Jer. ii. 32. [1913 Webster]

2. A man who has not had sexual intercourse. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

Christ was a maid and shapen as a man. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

3. A female servant. [1913 Webster]

Spinning amongst her maids. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Note: Maid is used either adjectively or in composition, signifying female, as in maid child, maidservant. [1913 Webster]

4. (Zo["o]l.) The female of a ray or skate, esp. of the gray skate ({Raia batis}), and of the thornback ({Raia clavata}). [Prov. Eng.] [1913 Webster]

{Fair maid}. (Zo["o]l.) See under {Fair}, a.

{Maid of honor}, a female attendant of a queen or royal princess; -- usually of noble family, and having to perform only nominal or honorary duties.

{Old maid}. See under {Old}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Old maid — Old Old, a. [Compar. {Older}; superl. {Oldest}.] [OE. old, ald, AS. ald, eald; akin to D. oud, OS. ald, OFries. ald, old, G. alt, Goth. alpeis, and also to Goth. alan to grow up, Icel. ala to bear, produce, bring up, L. alere to nourish. Cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • old maid — old maids N COUNT (disapproval) People sometimes refer to an old or middle aged woman as an old maid when she has never married and they think that it is unlikely that she ever will marry. This use could cause offence. Alex is too young to be… …   English dictionary

  • old-maid — old maid·ish·ness; old maid·ish·ly; …   English syllables

  • old maid — old′ maid′ n. 1) off usu. disp. an elderly or confirmed spinster 2) a fussy, timid, prudish person 3) gam a simple card game, played with a deck having one card removed, in which players match pairs, the loser being the holder of the odd card,… …   From formal English to slang

  • old maid — noun count 1. ) an insulting word for an older woman who has not been married and is unlikely to get married 2. ) INFORMAL someone who has old fashioned opinions and is too worried about small details ╾ ,old maidish adjective …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • old maid — n old fashioned not polite an offensive word for a woman who has never married and is not young any more = ↑spinster …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • old maid — ► NOUN 1) derogatory a single woman regarded as too old for marriage. 2) a prim and fussy person. 3) a card game in which players collect pairs and try not to be left with an odd penalty card, typically a queen …   English terms dictionary

  • old maid — n. 1. a woman, esp. an older woman, who has never married; spinster: a mild term of contempt 2. a prim, prudish, fussy person 3. a simple card game played with a deck containing one card with no match, the loser being the player left with that… …   English World dictionary

  • Old Maid — Infobox CardGame title = Old Maid subtitle = Also: Queen of Spades, Chase the Ace image link = image caption = alt names = type = players = 3+ ages = num cards = 49, 51, or 53 play = Clockwise card rank = origin = related = playing time = random… …   Wikipedia

  • Old Maid — Historische Schwarzer Peter Karten Schwarzer Peter ist neben Quartett das am weitesten verbreitete Kartenspiel für Kinder. Die Redewendung „jemandem den Schwarzen Peter zuschieben“ bedeutet, jemand anderen etwas Unangenehmes tun zu l …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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