chaste

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /tʃeɪst/ UK /tʃeɪst/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like chest /ɛ/ vs /eɪ/

Meanings

1

adj
abstaining from illicit sexual conduct; pure or restrained in style

The poem's chaste imagery suited its solemn theme.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · abstaining from illicit... pure virtuous celibate modest virginal decent restrained

Opposites

unchastelewd promiscuous lascivious wanton impure

Word family

Forms unchaste

Derived forms chastely chasteness chastity chasten

Related forms chastity chasten chastise castigate

Simplified etymology

Chaste comes from Latin castus “chaste.” The same Latin word is the source of Spanish and Portuguese casto “pure, unmixed,” whose feminine form casta gave English caste.

Etymology

From Old French chaste, from Latin castus ('pure, morally clean, undefiled'), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱas- ('to cut', hence 'separated, cut off from fault').

chaste Old French castus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# chaste

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /tʃeɪst/
**IPA (UK):** /tʃeɪst/

## Meanings
1. abstaining from illicit sexual conduct; pure or restrained in style

## Examples
- The poem's chaste imagery suited its solemn theme.

## Synonyms
- pure
- virtuous
- celibate
- modest
- virginal
- decent
- restrained

## Antonyms
- unchaste
- lewd
- promiscuous
- lascivious
- wanton
- impure

## Derived Forms
- chastely
- chasteness
- chastity
- chasten

## Related Forms
- chastity
- chasten
- chastise
- castigate

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: chaste
- Root: castus

## Etymology
From Old French chaste, from Latin castus ('pure, morally clean, undefiled'), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱas- ('to cut', hence 'separated, cut off from fault').

## AI Etymology
Chaste is from Old French chaste, from Latin castus ('pure, morally clean, undefiled'), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱas- ('to cut', hence 'separated, cut off from fault'). In present-day use, it means abstaining from illicit sexual conduct; pure or restrained in style. Derived formations include chastely, chasteness, chastity, and chasten. Related vocabulary includes chastity, chasten, chastise, and castigate.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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