celibate (redirected from celibates)

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.

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[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.

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celibate

Adjective

unmarried or abstaining from sex, esp. because of a religious vow of chastity

Noun

a celibate person [Latin caelebs unmarried]

celibacy n

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	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" continent chaste - morally pure (especially not having experienced sexual intercourse); "a holy woman innocent and chaste"

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celibate

adjective chaste, single, pure, virgin, continent