All 4 Uses of
chaste
in
The Iliad by Homer - (translated by: Edward)
- For him the monarch's wife, Antaea, nurs'd
A madd'ning passion, and to guilty love
Would fain have tempted him; but fail'd to move
The upright soul of chaste Bellerophon.†Chpt 1.6 *chaste = not having sexual intercourse (ever, outside of marriage, or for a long time); or not involving sexual desire
- But when to Priam's splendid house he came,
With polish'd corridors adorn'd—within
Were fifty chambers, all of polish'd stone,
Plac'd each by other; there the fifty sons
Of Priam with their wedded wives repos'd;
On th' other side, within the court were built
Twelve chambers, near the roof, of polish'd stone,
Plac'd each by other; there the sons-in-law
Of Priam with their spouses chaste repos'd;
To meet him there his tender mother came,
And with her led the young Laodice,
Fairest of all her daughters; clasping then
His hands, she thus address'd him: "Why, my son,
Why com'st thou here, and leav'st the battle-field?†Chpt 1.6
- that never, or to love unchaste
Soliciting, or otherwise, my hand
Hath fair Briseis touch'd; but in my tent
Still pure and undefil'd hath she remain'd:
And if in this I be forsworn, may Heav'n
With all the plagues afflict me, due to those
Who sin by perjur'd oaths against the Gods.†Chpt 2.19unchaste = sexually experienced or active; or involving sexual desirestandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unchaste means not and reverses the meaning of chaste. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- For this thy favour dost thou show to Troy;
And dost not rather join thy force to ours,
That down upon their knees the Trojans all
Should perish, with their babes and matrons chaste.†Chpt 2.21chaste = not having sexual intercourse (ever, outside of marriage, or for a long time); or not involving sexual desire
Definitions:
-
(1)
(chaste as in: remained chaste) not having sex; or not involving sexual desireThe exact meaning of not having sex depends upon context. It can mean
- to be a virgin (never have sex)
- to be sexually inactive currently or for a long time
- to not have sex outside of marriage
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much less commonly, chaste can refer to an unornamented simple style.