SARAH: Maidenhood is the condition of being a maiden, or maid, just as childhood is the condition of being a child.

RALPH: Throughout history, the primary sense of maid was a young, unmarried female.

SARAH: A derivative of that sense is reflected in the expression, “old maid”, used to refer to an older woman who has never been married.

RALPH: Because historically many domestic servants were young unmarried women, they were referred to as maids – a sense which has also continued in modern times, a housemaid, or nursemaid.

SARAH: But originally maid came from the German word for a virgin, of either sex.

RALPH: And that’s how Shakespeare’s using it here. The pair of stainless maidenhoods belong to Juliet, and Romeo.