The plural of chastity; the state or practice of being pure and avoiding sexual activity, especially valued in religious and historical contexts.
From Old French 'chastete,' derived from Latin 'castitas' (purity), rooted in 'castus' (pure, chaste). The word entered English through Norman French after the 1066 conquest and became particularly important in Christian virtue terminology.
Medieval monks and nuns took chastity vows so seriously that entire monasteries were built around enforcing it—yet historians note that the obsessive focus on chastity in religious writings might actually reveal how difficult people found it to maintain! The very emphasis suggests constant struggle.
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