vur-JIN-it-ee
/vɚˈdʒɪnɪti/
virginity is pronounced vur-JIN-it-ee (/vɚˈdʒɪnɪti/). Virginity is the state of a person who has not engaged in sexual intercourse. It is a social and cultural concept rather than a physical attribute, often discussed in moral, religious, or personal contexts. The term also appears in literature and media to denote purity, adolescence, or a milestone of coming-of-age.
Virginity is the state of a person who has not engaged in sexual intercourse. It is a social and cultural concept rather than a physical attribute, often discussed in moral, religious, or personal contexts. The term also appears in literature and media to denote purity, adolescence, or a milestone of coming-of-age.
"Her grandmother warned that preserving virginity was important in her community."
"The novel explores the loss of virginity as a rite of passage."
"In the debate, she refused to define virginity strictly by sexual acts."
Virginia: The word is stressed on the third syllable: ver-jin-i-ty with primary stress on the ‘jin’ syllable. Phonetically: /ˌvɜː.dɪnˈɪ.ti/ in US/UK as commonly simplified; more precise: /ˌvɜː.dʒɪˈnɪ.ti/. The initial vowel is a mid-central /ɜː/ or /ɜ/, the ‘vir’ starts with a /v/ plus /ɜː/; the middle syllable is /dʒɪ/ (like “gin” with a dʒ sound), followed by /nɪ/ and ends with /ti/. Keep the ‘gin’ light to avoid blending with the schwa.)
Two frequent errors: (1) Misplacing stress, treating it as VER-ji-ni-ty. Remember the primary stress falls on the third syllable: ver-jin-IT-y or ver-jin-i-ty, depending on accent. (2) Slurring /dʒ/ into /j/ or /dʒn/ sequences; keep /dʒ/ crisp after /ɜː/. Practice with minimal pairs like 'verge' vs 'virgin' to calibrate the /dʒ/ vs /d/. Use the IPA guide: /ˌvɜː.dʒɪˈnɪ.ti/.
In US English you often hear /ˌvɜːr.dɪˈnɪ.ti/ with rhotic r and a slightly lax /ɪ/ in the final syllables. UK English tends to a more clipped /ˌvɜː.dʒɪˈnɪ.ti/ with less vowel length and a non-rhotic /r/ influence in some dialects; the /dʒ/ remains clear. Australian English shows a centralized /ɜː/ and a more pronounced /tj/ cluster toward the end, with a non-rhotic tendency but with vowel shifts that can colour /ɪ/ to a nearer schwa in rapid speech. All three keep the stress on the third syllable but the quality of the first vowel and rhoticity differ subtly.
Because of the consonant cluster /dʒ/ after an unstressed vowel and the stress pattern placing emphasis on the third syllable. The sequence /ɜː.dʒɪ/ requires a precise tongue blade elevation for /dʒ/ while the preceding /v/ must be voiced with the mid back vowel /ɜː/. Ambiguity between /ɪ/ and /iː/ in fast speech also trips many learners; keeping the jaw relaxed and moving smoothly through the three syllables ensures clarity.
The first syllable uses a mid-central vowel /ɜː/ (like 'bird' in many accents). For speakers who front or back the tongue, producing a clean /ɜː/ can be challenging, especially before a palatal /dʒ/. The tongue must stay neutral, lips unrounded, and the jaw relaxed. Aim for a clear, short /ɜː/ rather than a spread or rounded vowel, then glide into the /dʒ/ without breaking the vowel. IPA cue: /ˌvɜː.dʒɪˈnɪ.ti/.
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US: rhotic /r/ influence, slightly longer /ɜː/ and a crisp /dʒ/; UK: typically non-rhotic, /r/ not pronounced unless before vowel, first syllable /ɜː/ is purer; AU: similar to UK with a bit more flattened /ɜː/ and a tendency toward weaker final /i/; all share primary stress on the 3rd syllable, but vowel quality shifts subtly: US favors /ɜr/ in some dialects, UK leans toward /ɜː/ without rhoticity in many regions.
Virginity traces to Middle English virginitee, from Old French virginete or virginité, and ultimately from Latin virginitas, from virginus meaning ‘maiden, young girl.’ The root vir- stems from Latin vir, ‘man,’ but in this lexical path it shifts to denote a female maiden—likely via semantic specialization in medieval contexts where virgin could refer to both sexual inexperience and moral purity. The earliest English attestations appear in the 13th–14th centuries in religious and legal contexts discussing the sin or virtue of celibacy. Over time, Virgin/virgin tied to emblematic purity broader cultural usage. In modern usage, virginity is described not as a medical state but as a social and personal concept; its definition varies widely by culture, religion, and era, often influencing personal identity, moral judgments, and discourse about sexuality. The term is frequently invoked in literature, ethics debates, and public policy, illustrating how language encodes values around sexuality and innocence across centuries.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "virginity" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "virginity"
-ity sounds
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