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celibate

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
cel·i·bate  (sl-bt)
n.
1. One who abstains from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.
2. One who is unmarried.
adj.
1. Abstaining from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows.
2. Unmarried; unwed.

[Latin caelibtus, from caelebs, caelib-, unmarried.]
Usage Note: Historically, celibate means only "unmarried"; its use to mean "abstaining from sexual intercourse" is a 20th-century development. But the new sense of the word seems to have displaced the old, and the use of celibate to mean "unmarried" is now almost sure to invite misinterpretation in other than narrowly ecclesiastical contexts. Sixty-eight percent of the Usage Panel rejected the older use in the sentence He remained celibate [unmarried], although he engaged in sexual intercourse.

celibate [ˈsɛlɪbɪt]
n
a person who is unmarried, esp one who has taken a religious vow of chastity
adj
1. unmarried, esp by vow
2. abstaining from sexual intercourse
[from Latin caelibātus, from caelebs unmarried, of obscure origin]
celibacy  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.celibate - an unmarried person who has taken a religious vow of chastity
religious person - a person who manifests devotion to a deity
Adj.1.celibate - abstaining from sexual intercourse; "celibate priests"
chaste - morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse); "a holy woman innocent and chaste"

celibate
adjective chaste, single, pure, virgin, continent He found it hard to adapt to the celibate life of a monk.
Translations
celibate [ˈselɪbɪt]
A. ADJcélibe
B. Ncélibe mf
celibate [ˈsɛlɪbət]
adj
[life, priest] → célibataire
to remain celibate → rester célibataire
[lay person] → chaste
npersonne f qui n'a pas de rapports sexuels
celibate
adj (Rel) → keusch, zölibatär (spec); (fig)enthaltsam
n to be a celibateim Zölibat leben
celibate [ˈsɛlɪbɪt] adj & n (man) → celibe (m); (woman) → nubile (f)
celibate [ˈsɛlɪbɪt] adj & n (man) → celibe (m); (woman) → nubile (f)


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
The labor was performed by convicts, prisoners of war, delinquent debtors and confirmed bachelors who were too poor to pay the high celibate tax which all red-Martian governments impose.
Whatever the reason, Ferrier remained strictly celibate.
You won't give it me, you little celibate simpleton.
 
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