VUR-jin
/ˈvɝdʒɪn/
virgin is pronounced VUR-jin (/ˈvɝdʒɪn/). Virgin refers to someone who has not engaged in sexual activity or, more broadly, something that is unspoiled or untouched. In everyday usage, it most often describes a person who has not experienced sexual intercourse, and as an adjective it can describe purity or initial/first-state qualities. The term can carry social or moral nuances depending on context and is widely understood across varieties of English.
Virgin refers to someone who has not engaged in sexual activity or, more broadly, something that is unspoiled or untouched. In everyday usage, it most often describes a person who has not experienced sexual intercourse, and as an adjective it can describe purity or initial/first-state qualities. The term can carry social or moral nuances depending on context and is widely understood across varieties of English.
"She remained a virgin until her early twenties."
"The village celebrated its virgin river as a symbol of pristine waters."
"In the brand name, the company used 'Virgin' to evoke originality and freshness."
Pronounce as VIR-jin with the primary stress on the first syllable. Phonetically, US: /ˈvɜrdʒən/, UK: /ˈvɜːdʒɪn/, AU: /ˈvɜː.dʒɪn/. The initial vowel is a mid-central approximation like 'fur' but with a clearer 'er' sound; the middle consonant is the voiced postalveolar affricate /dʒ/ as in 'judge'; the final syllable is a light, unstressed /ən/ or /n/.
Two frequent errors are replacing the /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ with a short /ɪ/ or a full /ɜːr/ in some accents, and misarticulating the /dʒ/ as /j/ or /d͡ʒ/ incorrectly. Another pitfall is reducing the final unstressed schwa to a de-emphasized vowel. Correction: keep the first syllable tense with /ˈvɜː/ (US /ˈvɜːr/), articulate /dʒ/ clearly as in 'judge', and end with a light /ən/ or /n/ to avoid a hard vowel.
US: rhotic /ˈvɜːr.dʒən/ with clear r-coloration; UK: /ˈvɜː.dʒɪn/ less r-colored, vowel length variable; AU: often /ˈvɜː.dʒɪn/ with a flatter, less rhotic ending and a slower diphthong movement. The /ɜː/ vs /ɜ/ distinction matters; the final /ən/ can be a schwa + n in US; in UK/AU you may hear a shorter or slightly reduced ending. IPA notes aid precise training.
The challenge lies in the stressed first syllable with /ɜː/ or /ɜr/ combined with the /dʒ/ cluster that follows. The /dʒ/ must be released cleanly, not merged with the preceding vowel, and the final /ən/ can be reduced or syllabic in fast speech. Practice with slow, deliberate articulation, then accelerate while maintaining the /ɜː/ and /dʒ/ separation.
One unique aspect is the subtle length or quality of the /ɜː/ vowel across dialects, especially in non-rhotic speakers where the /r/ is not pronounced in the initial vowel, yielding a vowel sound that may feel closer to /ɜː/. Emphasize the difference between the US /ˈvɜr.dʒən/ and the UK/AU /ˈvɜː.dʒɪn/.
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Virgin comes from Old French virgin, from Latin virgo, meaning maiden or young woman, and from vir-, root related to strength or worth. The Latin virgo itself is linked to the Indo-European root wer- (‘to turn, bend, or to protect’), but in medieval Latin it narrowed to denote a young, unmarried woman. The English adoption in the 13th century retained the sexual purity sense, but the word broadened to incorporate symbolic meanings of innocence, unspoiled nature, and the first state of something (as in ‘virgin forest’ or ‘virgin olive oil’). Throughout history, virgin has been used in religious and moral contexts to emphasize chastity, while secular uses have emphasized freshness and originality. Over time, the term has acquired cultural weight, including brand names and modern phrases, often requiring sensitivity to context and connotation. First recorded use in English dates to the 13th century, with a strong Latin and Old French lineage shaping its semantic trajectory from a personal status to a broad metaphor for untouched or pristine states.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "virgin" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "virgin"
-ven sounds
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