old maidn.

Brit.

/ˌəʊl(d) ˈmeɪd/, U.S.

/ˈoʊl(d) ˈmeɪd/

Forms: see old adj. and maid n.¹ Also with capital initials.

Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: old adj., maid n.¹

Etymology: < old adj. + maid n.¹ Compare slightly later old maiden n.

I. Senses relating to a person.

a. A woman who remains single beyond the ordinary marrying age; an elderly spinster. Frequently derogatory.

ΘΚΠ

society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > elderly

old maid1530

old maiden1566

pussock1622

ape-leader1652

thornback1694

spinster1719

tabby1748

virgin1759

tea-bottle1909

1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 250/1 Oulde mayde, luberdine.

1616 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odyssey i. 16 The soft weeds he wore, Put off; and to the diligent old maid Gaue all.

1673 R. Allestree Ladies Calling ii. i. §5 An old Maid is now..look'd on as the most calamitous Creature in nature.

1683 R. Dixon Canidia v. iii. 34 'Tis a cursed thing to be an old Maid.

1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 7. ¶4 An old Maid, that is troubled with the Vapours.

1741 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 139/1 It is past Description to know the Torments a Looking Glass gives an Old Maid.

1819 Metropolis (ed. 2) III. 232 The Miss Thing-em-tights, in Golden-square—fusty old maid frumps!

1843 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton ii Simpering old maids cracked merry thoughts with gay bachelors.

1887 J. Ruskin Præterita II. xi. 391 She..spent most of her summers in travel, with another wise old maid for companion.

1906 Queen 10 Nov. 808/2 The term ‘old maid’ is now seldom or never heard; the expression ‘bachelor girl’ has taken its place.

1946 E. O'Neill Iceman Cometh i. 6 His manners are those of a gentleman. There is a quality about him of a prim, Victorian old maid.

2002 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 4 Aug. c14 I was feeling like an old maid at 28.

b. A person (of either sex) supposedly like an old maid, typically in being prim, fussy, or timid.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness > one who is nervous

nervous1775

old maid1851

nervous wreck1871

jitterbug1934

1851 T. Parker in J. Weiss Life & Corr. T. Parker (1863) II. xix. 105 I am only an old maid in life, after all my bettying about in literature and philanthropy.

1911 G. B. Shaw Getting Married in Doctor's Dilemma 201 I'm a regular old maid. I'm very particular about my belongings.

1989 Chicago Tribune 13 Jan. i. 24/3 He seems to be enjoying himself a little too much and seems more prissy old maid than confirmed old bachelor.

1990 M. Harris Hemingway's Suitcase xix. 147 Hemingway couldn't stand James. He said he was an old maid.

II. Extended uses.

2. U.S. The common soft-shelled clam of North America, Mya arenaria. Now rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Siphonida > sinu-pallialia > family Myacidae

fleming1603

clam1672

clamp1672

basket-shell1713

Mya1777

soft clam1800

smurlin1806

sand-clam1809

long clam1811

old maid1815

softshell clam1818

maninose1843

gaper1853

long neck1857

geoduck1881

bluenose1883

sand-gaper1887

mano1899

1815 E. J. Burrow Elements Conchol. 203 Murex Fucus. Old Maid.

1865 J. G. Wood Common Shells Sea-shore (1869) 23 The Common Gaper-shell or Old Maid (Mya arenaria)... In some places the animal is sold for food, and is sold under the name of ‘Old Maid’.

1927 E. Step Shell Life (new ed.) 149 The Sand Gaper or Old Maid (Mya arenaria).

3. A simple card game in which players exchange cards in turn, discarding any matching pairs which they obtain.One queen is unpaired, and the player left with this card at the end is designated the ‘old maid’.The game is sometimes played with old maid cards, a pack of picture cards designed for the purpose, rather than a standard pack.

ΘΚΠ

society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > children's or simple games > [noun]

snap snorum1622

beggar-my-neighbour1734

snip-snap-snorum1755

old maid1831

pounce commerce1847

muggins1855

happy families1861

author1863

snap1881

strip-jack-naked1881

spoof1884

animal grab1894

grab1900

donkey1920

1831 E. Leslie Amer. Girl's Bk. 144 Old Maid... When played by girls, three of the queens must be put away as useless.

1858 Titan Jan.–June 554/2 Some of the people were having a game of old ‘maid’ at one table, and Miss Smith had been good enough to sing.

1874 L. Troubridge Life amongst Troubridges (1966) ix. 89 After dinner..we had to begin a stodgy game of Old Maid, just us two.

1959 New Yorker 6 June 101 At all card games, without exception—Go Fish, poker, cassino, hearts, old maid..—he was absolutely intolerable.

1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger iii. 67 The prosecutor then collected the ballots, and after shuffling them in his hand about as adroitly as a five-year-old with his Old Maid cards, handed them to the captain.

2000 Geist Summer 7/3 We stay in the cabin..playing Fish and Old Maid and Hangman.

a. U.S. A zinnia, Zinnia elegans, much grown in gardens.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > composite flowers > other composite flowers

ox-eyea1400

starwort?a1450

Jupiter's beard1567

goldenrod1568

achillea1597

blue camomile1597

blue daisy1597

cineraria1597

hog's bean1597

jackanapes on horseback1597

sea-starwort1597

sultan flower1629

mouse-ear1696

aster1706

Canada goldenrod1731

ageratum1737

rudbeckia1751

coreopsis1753

melampodium1754

Aaron's rod1760

zinnia1761

Michaelmas daisy1767

China aster1785

New England aster1785

catananche1798

sea-aster1812

cosmea1813

cosmos1813

gazania1813

erigeron1815

gousblom1822

Christmas daisy1829

rhodanthe1834

tassel-flower1836

ligularia1839

old maid1839

mountain daisy1848

purple coneflower1848

acroclinium1852

sea ox-eye1856

thimble-weed1860

helipterum1862

treasure-flower1866

Swan River daisy1873

blanket flower1879

cone-flower1879

blue marguerite1882

Solidago1883

yellow-top1887

Gaillardia1888

gerbera1889

youth and old age1889

pussytoes1892

niggerhead1893

Transvaal daisy1899

Barberton daisy1906

onion grass1909

ursinia1928

Cupid's dart1930

Livingstone daisy1932

1839 Southern Literary Messenger 5 751/2 A particular spot in his garden was appropriated to the culture of old maids.

1888 Cent. Mag. 36 896/1 The flower-garden overrun with..four-o'clocks, old-maids, and sun~flowers.

1940 J. Still River of Earth 104 We broke off the brown heads of old maids and the smooth buttons of Job's tears hanging on withered stalks.

1981 L. A. Pederson et al. Ling. Atlas Gulf States 0070A/088 [Georgia] Old maids—their name for zinnias.

b. Chiefly Caribbean and U.S. The Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > non-British flowers > tropical flowers

Madagascar periwinkle1807

torenia1840

old maid1866

periwinkle1968

1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 809/1 Old-maid, a West Indian name for Vinca rosea.

1933 J. K. Small Man. Southeastern Flora 1060 Periwinkle. Old maid... This showy plant has taken possession of acres of scrub land in southern peninsular Florida.

1983 G. E. Seaforth et al. Guide Med. Plants Trinidad & Tobago 46 Old Maid, Periwinkle... The tea made from this herb is very popular for both diabetes and blood pressure.

†c. U.S. The velvetleaf or Indian mallow, Abutilon theophrasti. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > mallow flowers

abutilon1578

yellow mallow1597

Indian mallow1699

lavatera1731

modesty1809

butter print1872

Mormon weed1872

old maid1880

1880 Scribner's Monthly May 101/2 In my section an annoying weed is Abutilon, or velvet-leaf, also called ‘old maid’.

Compounds

old maid's pink n. (also old maid pink, old maids' pink) U.S. soapwort, Saponaria officinalis.

ΚΠ

1876 C. E. Hobbs Bot. Hand-bk. 84 Old maids' pink, Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis.

1901 A. Lounsberry Southern Wild Flowers & Trees 158 The homely bouncing bet, or old maid's pink,..was once exclusively a garden plant.

1982 Greenfield (Mass.) Recorder 11 Sept. 4/1 ‘Old maid pinks’, which you may know as ‘Bouncing Bet’,..still persists even in poor, dry soil.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	old maid
释义	old maidn. Brit. /ˌəʊl(d) ˈmeɪd/, U.S. /ˈoʊl(d) ˈmeɪd/ Forms: see old adj. and maid n.¹ Also with capital initials. Origin: Formed within English, by compounding. Etymons: old adj., maid n.¹ Etymology: < old adj. + maid n.¹ Compare slightly later old maiden n. I. Senses relating to a person. 1. a. A woman who remains single beyond the ordinary marrying age; an elderly spinster. Frequently derogatory. ΘΚΠ society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > unmarried person(s) > unmarried woman > [noun] > elderly old maid1530 old maiden1566 pussock1622 ape-leader1652 thornback1694 spinster1719 tabby1748 virgin1759 tea-bottle1909 1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 250/1 Oulde mayde, luberdine. 1616 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odyssey i. 16 The soft weeds he wore, Put off; and to the diligent old maid Gaue all. 1673 R. Allestree Ladies Calling ii. i. §5 An old Maid is now..look'd on as the most calamitous Creature in nature. 1683 R. Dixon Canidia v. iii. 34 'Tis a cursed thing to be an old Maid. 1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 7. ¶4 An old Maid, that is troubled with the Vapours. 1741 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 139/1 It is past Description to know the Torments a Looking Glass gives an Old Maid. 1819 Metropolis (ed. 2) III. 232 The Miss Thing-em-tights, in Golden-square—fusty old maid frumps! 1843 C. J. Lever Jack Hinton ii Simpering old maids cracked merry thoughts with gay bachelors. 1887 J. Ruskin Præterita II. xi. 391 She..spent most of her summers in travel, with another wise old maid for companion. 1906 Queen 10 Nov. 808/2 The term ‘old maid’ is now seldom or never heard; the expression ‘bachelor girl’ has taken its place. 1946 E. O'Neill Iceman Cometh i. 6 His manners are those of a gentleman. There is a quality about him of a prim, Victorian old maid. 2002 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 4 Aug. c14 I was feeling like an old maid at 28. b. A person (of either sex) supposedly like an old maid, typically in being prim, fussy, or timid. ΘΚΠ the mind > emotion > fear > nervousness or uneasiness > [noun] > nervousness > one who is nervous nervous1775 old maid1851 nervous wreck1871 jitterbug1934 1851 T. Parker in J. Weiss Life & Corr. T. Parker (1863) II. xix. 105 I am only an old maid in life, after all my bettying about in literature and philanthropy. 1911 G. B. Shaw Getting Married in Doctor's Dilemma 201 I'm a regular old maid. I'm very particular about my belongings. 1989 Chicago Tribune 13 Jan. i. 24/3 He seems to be enjoying himself a little too much and seems more prissy old maid than confirmed old bachelor. 1990 M. Harris Hemingway's Suitcase xix. 147 Hemingway couldn't stand James. He said he was an old maid. II. Extended uses. 2. U.S. The common soft-shelled clam of North America, Mya arenaria. Now rare. ΘΚΠ the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > class Pelecypoda or Conchifera > [noun] > section Siphonida > sinu-pallialia > family Myacidae fleming1603 clam1672 clamp1672 basket-shell1713 Mya1777 soft clam1800 smurlin1806 sand-clam1809 long clam1811 old maid1815 softshell clam1818 maninose1843 gaper1853 long neck1857 geoduck1881 bluenose1883 sand-gaper1887 mano1899 1815 E. J. Burrow Elements Conchol. 203 Murex Fucus. Old Maid. 1865 J. G. Wood Common Shells Sea-shore (1869) 23 The Common Gaper-shell or Old Maid (Mya arenaria)... In some places the animal is sold for food, and is sold under the name of ‘Old Maid’. 1927 E. Step Shell Life (new ed.) 149 The Sand Gaper or Old Maid (Mya arenaria). 3. A simple card game in which players exchange cards in turn, discarding any matching pairs which they obtain.One queen is unpaired, and the player left with this card at the end is designated the ‘old maid’.The game is sometimes played with old maid cards, a pack of picture cards designed for the purpose, rather than a standard pack. ΘΚΠ society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > children's or simple games > [noun] snap snorum1622 beggar-my-neighbour1734 snip-snap-snorum1755 old maid1831 pounce commerce1847 muggins1855 happy families1861 author1863 snap1881 strip-jack-naked1881 spoof1884 animal grab1894 grab1900 donkey1920 1831 E. Leslie Amer. Girl's Bk. 144 Old Maid... When played by girls, three of the queens must be put away as useless. 1858 Titan Jan.–June 554/2 Some of the people were having a game of old ‘maid’ at one table, and Miss Smith had been good enough to sing. 1874 L. Troubridge Life amongst Troubridges (1966) ix. 89 After dinner..we had to begin a stodgy game of Old Maid, just us two. 1959 New Yorker 6 June 101 At all card games, without exception—Go Fish, poker, cassino, hearts, old maid..—he was absolutely intolerable. 1989 T. Clancy Clear & Present Danger iii. 67 The prosecutor then collected the ballots, and after shuffling them in his hand about as adroitly as a five-year-old with his Old Maid cards, handed them to the captain. 2000 Geist Summer 7/3 We stay in the cabin..playing Fish and Old Maid and Hangman. 4. a. U.S. A zinnia, Zinnia elegans, much grown in gardens. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > composite flowers > other composite flowers ox-eyea1400 starwort?a1450 Jupiter's beard1567 goldenrod1568 achillea1597 blue camomile1597 blue daisy1597 cineraria1597 hog's bean1597 jackanapes on horseback1597 sea-starwort1597 sultan flower1629 mouse-ear1696 aster1706 Canada goldenrod1731 ageratum1737 rudbeckia1751 coreopsis1753 melampodium1754 Aaron's rod1760 zinnia1761 Michaelmas daisy1767 China aster1785 New England aster1785 catananche1798 sea-aster1812 cosmea1813 cosmos1813 gazania1813 erigeron1815 gousblom1822 Christmas daisy1829 rhodanthe1834 tassel-flower1836 ligularia1839 old maid1839 mountain daisy1848 purple coneflower1848 acroclinium1852 sea ox-eye1856 thimble-weed1860 helipterum1862 treasure-flower1866 Swan River daisy1873 blanket flower1879 cone-flower1879 blue marguerite1882 Solidago1883 yellow-top1887 Gaillardia1888 gerbera1889 youth and old age1889 pussytoes1892 niggerhead1893 Transvaal daisy1899 Barberton daisy1906 onion grass1909 ursinia1928 Cupid's dart1930 Livingstone daisy1932 1839 Southern Literary Messenger 5 751/2 A particular spot in his garden was appropriated to the culture of old maids. 1888 Cent. Mag. 36 896/1 The flower-garden overrun with..four-o'clocks, old-maids, and sun~flowers. 1940 J. Still River of Earth 104 We broke off the brown heads of old maids and the smooth buttons of Job's tears hanging on withered stalks. 1981 L. A. Pederson et al. Ling. Atlas Gulf States 0070A/088 [Georgia] Old maids—their name for zinnias. b. Chiefly Caribbean and U.S. The Madagascar periwinkle, Catharanthus roseus. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > non-British flowers > tropical flowers Madagascar periwinkle1807 torenia1840 old maid1866 periwinkle1968 1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 809/1 Old-maid, a West Indian name for Vinca rosea. 1933 J. K. Small Man. Southeastern Flora 1060 Periwinkle. Old maid... This showy plant has taken possession of acres of scrub land in southern peninsular Florida. 1983 G. E. Seaforth et al. Guide Med. Plants Trinidad & Tobago 46 Old Maid, Periwinkle... The tea made from this herb is very popular for both diabetes and blood pressure. †c. U.S. The velvetleaf or Indian mallow, Abutilon theophrasti. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular cultivated or ornamental plants > particular flower or plant esteemed for flower > [noun] > mallow flowers abutilon1578 yellow mallow1597 Indian mallow1699 lavatera1731 modesty1809 butter print1872 Mormon weed1872 old maid1880 1880 Scribner's Monthly May 101/2 In my section an annoying weed is Abutilon, or velvet-leaf, also called ‘old maid’. Compounds old maid's pink n. (also old maid pink, old maids' pink) U.S. soapwort, Saponaria officinalis. ΚΠ 1876 C. E. Hobbs Bot. Hand-bk. 84 Old maids' pink, Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis. 1901 A. Lounsberry Southern Wild Flowers & Trees 158 The homely bouncing bet, or old maid's pink,..was once exclusively a garden plant. 1982 Greenfield (Mass.) Recorder 11 Sept. 4/1 ‘Old maid pinks’, which you may know as ‘Bouncing Bet’,..still persists even in poor, dry soil. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.1530
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