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Added 9 October 2026

celibate

/ˈsɛləbət/ adjective

In Latin: caelebs Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about celibate at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Not married. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
Abstaining from sexual relations and pleasures.
Members of religious communities sometimes take vows to remain celibate.

noun

One who is not married, especially one who has taken a religious vow not to get married, usually because of being a member of a religious community.

verb

To practice celibacy.

noun

A celibate state; celibacy.

Origin

Probably from the noun (“celibacy”) or from celibacy on the model of privacy/private, etc. Alternatively, from Latin caelebs (“single”) + -ate.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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