chastity
/ˈtʃastɪti
/noun [mass noun]
The state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially from all, sexual intercourse: vows of chastity...
- Male and female members of religious orders took a vow of chastity and ordained priests were obligated to celibacy.
- Religion is an intensely personal matter and is as sacrosanct as chastity.
- Programs are screened for scenes that contradict the codes of sexual chastity and religious observance.
Synonyms
celibacy, chasteness, virginity, abstinence, self-restraint, self-denial;
singleness, maidenhood, the unmarried state;
innocence, purity, virtue, goodness, decency, morality, decorum, modesty, wholesomeness;
Christianity immaculateness
rare continence
Origin
Middle English: from Old French chastete, from Latin castitas, from castus 'morally pure' (see chaste).