celibacy Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an unmarried status
  2. noun abstaining from sexual relations (as because of religious vows)
    sexual abstention; chastity.

WordNet

Ce*lib"a*cy noun
Etymology
See Celibate, n.
Definitions
  1. The state of being unmarried; single life, esp. that of a bachelor, or of one bound by vows not to marry. "The celibacy of the clergy." Hallom.

Webster 1913