Etymology Dictionary

MAID, MAIDEN,  a girl, virgin.  (E.)   1. Mayde occurs in Rob. of Glouc. p. 13, l. 14.   It is not common in early M.E., and is, practically, merely a corruption of maiden, by the loss of final n, rather than a form derived from A.S. mægð or mægeð, a maiden (Grein, ii. 216).   2. The usual early M.E. word is maiden or meiden, Ancren Riwle, pp. 64, 166.—A.S. mægden, a maiden (Grein, ii. 216); also mæden, Mark, iv. 28, later text maigden.   3. We also find M.E. may in the same sense; Chaucer, C. T. 5271.—A.S. mǽg, a female relation, a maid; Grein, ii. 215.   β. Both A.S. mæg-den and mæg-eð are extensions from the older word mǽg, also spelt mǽge, Grein, ii. 216.   Moreover, mæg-den = mæg-ed-en = mægeð-en is the dimin. form of mægeð; see March, A.S. Gram. art. 228.   γ. Mægeð is cognate with Goth. magaths, a virgin, maid, where the suffix -ths answers to Aryan suffix -ta.   A.S. mǽg or mǽge is the fem. of A.S. mǽg  a son, kinsman (Grein, ii. 214), a very common word, and cognate with Goth. magus, a boy, child, Luke, ii. 43; also with Icel. mögr, a boy, youth, son.   δ. The orig. sense of magus is 'a growing lad,' one increasing in strength; from the Teut. base MAG, to have power, whence also might, main.   See May (1).   Der. maiden-hood = A.S. mægdenhád, Grein, ii. 216; also spelt maiden-head = M.E. meidenhed or meidenhede, Gower, C. A. ii. 230, l. 8, which is a mere variant of maiden-hood; maiden-ly, Mids. Nt. Dr. iii. 2. 217, Skelton, Garland of Laurel, l. 865; maiden-li-ness; maiden-hair; also maid-child, Levit. xii. 5.