maidenhood
Young female innocence
Maidenhood is the state or time of being a maiden—that is, an unmarried young woman or virgin.
The word is literary and old-fashioned, appearing in historical novels and period pieces: She spent her maidenhood in her father's house.
Like maiden itself, it carries connotations of youth, innocence, and sexual inexperience.
Abstaining from sexual activity
- virginityAbsence of carnal experience
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- virtueMoral goodness or merit
modesty · innocence · immaculate · unsullied · undefiled · untouched · pristine · spotless
Teenage developmental stage
- pubertySexual development stage
- girlhoodFemale youth period
- teenagerPerson aged thirteen-nineteen
- coming-of-ageYouth becoming adulthood
maturation · youth · development · transition · self-discovery · inexperience · naivety · freshness
Adult female state
- girlhoodFemale youth period
- femininityFemale nature or character
- sisterhoodBond among women
- ladylikeBefitting refined femininity
girlish · feminine · menarche · nubile · bloom · demure · coquette · ingenue
Marital property transfer
- trousseauBride's gathered possessions
- betrothalFormal marriage agreement
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
- chaperoneProtective adult companion
matchmaking · dower · corset · damsel · suitor · spinster · spinsterhood · eligible
Fifteenth birthday celebration
- debutanteFormally introduced young woman
- cotillionFormal society dance event
- coming-outPublic declaration of identity
- confirmationEstablishing something as true
presentation · initiation · debut · finishing-school · ceremony · ritual · tradition · custom
chastity
Abstaining from sexual activity
- virginityAbsence of carnal experience
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
virtue · modesty · innocence · immaculate · unsullied · undefiled · untouched · pristine · spotless · unblemished
adolescence
Teenage developmental stage
coming-of-age · maturation · youth · development · transition · self-discovery · inexperience · naivety · freshness · greenness
womanhood
Adult female state
- girlhoodFemale youth period
- femininityFemale nature or character
- sisterhoodBond among women
ladylike · girlish · feminine · menarche · nubile · bloom · demure · coquette · ingenue · belle
dowry
Marital property transfer
- trousseauBride's gathered possessions
- betrothalFormal marriage agreement
- courtshipSeeking another's romantic favor
chaperone · matchmaking · dower · corset · damsel · suitor · spinster · spinsterhood · eligible · unwed
quinceañera
Fifteenth birthday celebration
- debutanteFormally introduced young woman
- cotillionFormal society dance event
- coming-outPublic declaration of identity
confirmation · presentation · initiation · debut · finishing-school · ceremony · ritual · tradition · custom · celebration
- chastitychastity, celibacy, virginity, abstinence, purity
- womanhoodwomanhood, femininity, girlhood, motherhood, sisterhood
- puritypure, purity, pristine, spotless, spotlessness
maidenhoodsex
Reproductive category or act
defloration · carnal knowledge · womanhood · sexual maturity · consummation
maidenhoodlewdness
Crude sexual indecency
promiscuity · wantonness · licentiousness · unchastity · debauchery