Members of religious communities sometimes take vows to remain celibate.
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Celibate — Cel i*bate, n. [L. aelibatus, fr. caelebs unmarried, single.] 1. Celibate state; celibacy. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] He . . . preferreth holy celibate before the estate of marriage. Jer. Taylor. [1913 Webster] 2. One who is unmarried, esp. a bachelor … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Celibate — Cel i*bate, a. Unmarried; single; as, a celibate state. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
celibate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) abstaining from marriage and sexual relations for religious reasons. 2) having or involving no sexual relations. ► NOUN ▪ a person who is celibate. DERIVATIVES celibacy noun. ORIGIN from Latin caelibatus unmarried state … English terms dictionary
celibate — index solitary Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
celibate — 1610s (n.) state of celibacy, from Fr. célibat (16c.), from L. caelibatus (see CELIBACY (Cf. celibacy)). The adj. meaning unmarried, sworn to remain single is recorded from 1829. As a noun, one who is sworn to such a condition, from 1869 … Etymology dictionary
celibate — adj *unmarried, single, virgin, maiden … New Dictionary of Synonyms
celibate — [adj] abstaining from sexual activity chaste, continent, pure, virgin, virginal, virtuous; concept 372 Ant. active, promiscuous … New thesaurus
celibate — [sel′ə bət] n. [L caelibatus < caelebs, unmarried (< IE base * kaiwelo , alone) + * lib(h)s , living (> LIVE2)] 1. an unmarried person, esp. one under a vow to remain unmarried 2. one who abstains from sexual intercourse adj. of or in a… … English World dictionary
celibate — [[t]se̱lɪbət[/t]] celibates 1) ADJ Someone who is celibate does not marry or have sex, because of their religious beliefs. The Pope bluntly told the world s priests yesterday to stay celibate. N COUNT A celibate is someone who is celibate. 2) ADJ … English dictionary
celibate — UK [ˈseləbət] / US adjective a) not having sex b) never having sex, often because of religious beliefs Derived word: celibate UK / US noun countable Word forms celibate : singular celibate plural celibates … English dictionary
celibate — cel|i|bate [ˈselıbət] adj [Date: 1800 1900; : Latin; Origin: caelibatus, from caelebs unmarried ] not married and not having sex, especially because of your religious beliefs →↑virgin ▪ Catholic priests are required to be celibate. >celibate n … Dictionary of contemporary English
