celibate

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celibate

a person who abstains from having sex: She has chosen to be celibate until marriage.; a person who remains unmarried for religious reasons: The priests have vowed to remain celibate.

Not to be confused with:

celebrate – to commemorate with festivities: celebrate a birthday; honor, laud, applaud: celebrate a victory

cel·i·bate

(sĕl′ə-bĭt)

adj.

1. Abstaining from sexual relations.

2. Remaining unmarried, as for religious reasons.

1. One who abstains from sexual relations.

2. One who remains unmarried, as for religious reasons.

[Latin caelibātus, from caelebs, caelib-, unmarried.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

celibate

(ˈsɛlɪbɪt)

a person who is unmarried, esp one who has taken a religious vow of chastity

adj

1. unmarried, esp by vow

2. abstaining from sexual intercourse

[C17: from Latin caelibātus, from caelebs unmarried, of obscure origin]

ˈcelibacy n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cel•i•bate

(ˈsɛl ə bɪt, -ˌbeɪt)

n.

1. a person who abstains from sexual relations.

2. a person who remains unmarried, esp. for religious reasons.

adj.

3. observing or pertaining to sexual abstention or a religious vow not to marry.

4. not married.

[1820–30; derivative of celibacy, by analogy with obstinacy: obstinate, etc.]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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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"

celibate

adjective chaste, single, pure, virgin, continent He found it hard to adapt to the celibate life of a monk.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

أعْزب، عازِب

celibátní

i cølibat

unverheiratet

fraŭlo

celibe

célibataire

agglegényhajadonnőtlenszüzességi fogadalmat tett

einlífis-, skírlífis-

celibato celibe

som lever i sølibat ugift

niezamężna nieżonaty

celibátcelibátny

evlenmemeye yemin etmiş

独身的禁欲的

celibate

[ˈselɪbɪt]

A. ADJ → célibe

B. N → célibe mf

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

celibate

[ˈsɛlɪbət]

adj

[life, priest] → célibataire
to remain celibate → rester célibataire

[lay person] → chaste

n → personne f qui n'a pas de rapports sexuels

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

celibate

adj (Rel) → keusch, zölibatär (spec); (fig) → enthaltsam

n to be a celibate → im Zölibat leben

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

celibate

[ˈsɛlɪbɪt] adj & n (man) → celibe (m); (woman) → nubile (f)

celibacy

(ˈselibəsi) noun

the state of being unmarried or of refraining from sexual intercourse, especially in obedience to religious vows.

ˈcelibate (-bət) adjective

celibate

adj célibe, que no tiene relaciones sexuales

References in classic literature ?

The labor was performed by convicts, prisoners of war, delinquent debtors and confirmed bachelors who were too poor to pay the high celibate tax which all red-Martian governments impose.

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Whatever the reason, Ferrier remained strictly celibate. In every other respect he conformed to the religion of the young settlement, and gained the name of being an orthodox and straight-walking man.

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We do not present the chevalier as an accomplished man; but surely we can pardon, in an old celibate whose heart sends so much blood to his left cheek, these adorable qualities, founded, perhaps, on some sublime secret history.

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You won't give it me, you little celibate simpleton.

"Oh, by being a celibate simpleton, I suppose," he said.

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The detachment of a professional celibate seemed to reveal to the others that they stood round the woman as a ring of amorous rivals; just as a stranger coming in with frost on his coat will reveal that a room is like a furnace.

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They are a company of celibates, grinding harshly against one another and growing daily more calloused from the grinding.

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Kafayat Kareem a.k.a Khafi, one of the BBNaija (S4) 'PepperDem' housemates said she was celibate for eight years after her conversion to Christianity.

I Was Celibate For 8 Years After My Conversion, Says BBNaija Khafi

Instead, Laurie was turning celibate after a 18-year addiction tosex.

'Giving up sex addiction was agony but celibacy was worth it for my baby son'; Laurie Jade Woodruff, 30, was obsessed with sex until she had her son and used celibacy to help beat her addiction

The pope says "If gay priests can't be celibate, they should leave." I would agree, but I also think that if heterosexual priests cannot be celibate, they should leave also!

Celibacy and priesthood

The celibate priesthood has long been a tradition of the Latin Catholic Church, with exceptions made only in the cases of married ministers of other denominations who convert to Catholicism and then become priests.

Pope against making priestly celibacy optional in Latin rite

26 (ANI): Yoga guru Ramdev, on Monday, said the greatest pride of life is to be 'sanyasi' (celibate).