Celibacy is a giving up of sex by choice, usually for God.
Chastity, a.k.a. purity, is one of the virtues, that of temperance, that is intended for everyone. It does depend upon where you are in your life, i.e., if you’re unwed, you practice chastity as a moral choice. If you’re married, sexual activity is no longer considered immoral, so chastity is not expected with your spouse. Chastity, however, is expected with people who are not your spouse!
Of course, if you’re making a vow of chastity, chastity would mean the same as celibacy.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.
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| Celibacy | Chastity |
|---|---|
Priest Walking on Medieval Stone is in the public domain, via MaxPixel. — It’s a lonely place to be, celibacy. |
Chastity Belt by Nark Muano is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: celibacy |
Noun
Plural: chastity |
| The state of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations
The state of being unmarried |
The state or practice of refraining from extramarital, or especially from all, sexual intercourse |
| Examples: | |
| His brother honored his priestly vow of celibacy.
The celibacy of priests is not a given. The early Church saw a debate between the proponents of chastity and celibacy. If you are struggling with celibacy like this, maybe active ministry isn’t where you should be? |
His vows of chastity forbade any sexual intercourse.
“God give me chastity, but not yet,” said St Augustine. Male and female members of religious orders took a vow of chastity and ordained priests were obligated to celibacy. Religion is an intensely personal matter and is as sacrosanct as chastity. Programs are screened for scenes that contradict the codes of sexual chastity and religious observance. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: celibate, celibatic Noun: celibate |
Noun: nonchastity |
| History of the Word: | |
| Mid-17th century, from the Latin caelibatus, from caelebs meaning unmarried. | Middle English from the Old French chastete, from the Latin castitas, from castus meaning morally pure.
See chaste. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Celibacy versus Chastity
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: celibacy
Lexico.com: celibacy, chastity
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Buddhist Monk is in the public domain, via Piqsels. A photographic postcard, ca 1940, Seventeenth-century Chastity Belt Decorated with a Representation of Adam and Eve Under the Tree of Life is under the CC BY 4.0 license, courtesy of the Musée de Cluny in Paris. Male Chastity Belt by KeyholdingOnlineUK is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.
