celibate Hear it!

celibate definition

celi·bate (sel′ə bət)

noun

  1. an unmarried person, esp. one under a vow to remain unmarried
  2. one who abstains from sexual intercourse

Etymology: L caelibatus < caelebs, unmarried (< IE base *kaiwelo-, alone) + *lib(h)s-, living (> live)

adjective

of or in a state of celibacy

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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