celibate
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L311696 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsɛləbət/
adj
Etymology: Probably from the noun (“celibacy”) or from celibacy on the model of privacy/private, etc. Alternatively, from Latin caelebs (“single”) + -ate.
- Not married.
- Abstaining from sexual relations and pleasures.
“Members of religious communities sometimes take vows to remain celibate.”
“Juanita went celibate for a while and then started going out with Da5id and eventually got married to him.”
noun
Etymology: From French célibat (“celibacy”), from Latin caelibātus (“celibacy”), from caelebs (“unmarried”); compare German Zölibat (“celibacy”). Equivalent to Latin caelebs + -ate (forming nouns denoting a rank, a state)
- A celibate state; celibacy.
“He […] preferreth holy Cœlibate before the eſtate of Marriage, […]”
“And Mrs Gorman had had several admirers, both before and after Mr Gorman, and even during Mr Gorman, and Watt at least two well defined romances, in the course of his celibate.”
verb
Etymology: From Latin caelebs + -ate (verb-forming suffix)
- To practice celibacy.
“However, be that as it may, Stason celebrated with the boys while Hessel celibated alone.”
“These kids were winding up 45 years and 4 days of celebrating. Me? I'm winding up seven years of celibating looking for a patient virgin.”