Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

vestal

/ˈvɛs.t(ə)l/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.47 in modern English

Syllables: vestal
IPA: /ˈvɛs.t(ə)l/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth.

adj

noun

A virgin consecrated to Vesta, and to the service of watching the sacred fire, which was to be perpetually kept burning upon her altar; a vestal virgin.

noun

A female virgin; a woman who has never had sexual relations.

noun

A nun.

adj

Alternative form of vestal (Pertaining to the goddess Vesta)

adj

Synonym of Vestan (Pertaining to the asteroid Vesta)

name

Example Sentences

"Does money fail?—come to my mint—coin paper, Till gold be at a discount, and ashamed To show his bilious face, go purge himself, In emulation of her vestal whiteness."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin Vestālis.

Word Breakdown

Suffix: Vesta

Inflected Forms

vestals (plural)

Derived Forms

vestally vestalship

Phrases

Drury Lane vestal St. John's Wood vestal

Synonyms

Vestan pure virgin virginal virtuous

Rhymes With

westall estell chestal

Questions

How do you pronounce vestal?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈvɛs.t(ə)l/.
What does vestal mean?: Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth.
Where does vestal come from?: Learned borrowing from Latin Vestālis.

How to pronounce vestal

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “vestal”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈvɛs.t(ə)l/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “vestal”.
Repeat and practice — Say “vestal” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.