The plural of celibacy; multiple instances or states of abstaining from marriage and sexual relations.
From Latin 'caelebs' (unmarried) + suffix '-acy'. The term entered Middle English through Old French and ecclesiastical Latin, originally describing the state required of Catholic clergy.
Celibacy wasn't invented by the Catholic Church—it's thousands of years old in Buddhism and other traditions, but the Latin word 'caelebs' suggests Romans already debated unmarried living.
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