maiden
n. countablen. a young woman who is not married. This is an old-fashioned word often found in stories and poems.
n. a young, unmarried woman. Literary or archaic in register; frequently used in historical or mythological contexts.
The story tells of a brave maiden living in a castle.
In many traditional folk tales, a young maiden must complete a series of impossible tasks to win her freedom.
The poet employs the image of a maiden to symbolise purity and the untapped potential of youth, contrasting her innocence with the weary experience of the older characters.
From Middle English mayden, meiden, from Old English mæġden (“girl”), originally a diminutive of mæġeþ (“girl”) via diminutive suffix -en, from Proto-West Germanic magaþ, from Proto-Germanic magaþs. Equivalent to maid + -en.
Primarily restricted to literary, historical, or poetic contexts; sounds dated or humorous in modern speech.