celibacy
/ˈsɛləbəsi/ noun
Forms celibacies cælibacy
- noun Abstaining from marriage; the state of being unmarried.
- noun (by extension) Abstinence from sexual relations.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin caelibātus (“celibacy, a single life”), from caelebs (“unmarried”). By surface analysis, celib(ate) + -acy.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state of being unmarried; single life, esp. that of a bachelor, or of one bound by vows not to marry. "The celibacy of the clergy." Hallom.
Etymology [See Celibate, n.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “celibacy”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details