maidenhood

/ˈmeɪdənˌhʊd/
noun
  1. The time or condition of being a young unmarried woman; girlhood or youth.
    • She looked back on her maidenhood as a time of freedom and discovery.
    • In the novel, the heroine's maidenhood ends when she marries and moves to the city.
    • Many traditions celebrate the transition from maidenhood to womanhood with special ceremonies.
  2. The state of being a virgin; virginity.
    • In older literature, a woman's maidenhood was often linked to her family's honor.
    • She chose to keep her maidenhood until she found the right partner.
    • The queen's maidenhood was a topic of much gossip at court.
Antonyms
What does "maidenhood" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean