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puberty Definition

pu·berty (pyo̵̅o̅bər tē)

noun

the stage of physical development when secondary sex characteristics develop and sexual reproduction first becomes possible: in common law, the age of puberty is generally fixed at fourteen for boys and twelve for girls

Etymology: ME puberte < L pubertas < puber, of ripe age, adult, prob. akin to puer, boy

puberty Related Forms

pu·ber·tal adjective

puberty Synonyms

puberty

n.

puberty Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • reach: Most have been promised to marriage by the time they reach puberty.
  • hit: Which makes me wonder how funny anybody who hadn't hit puberty by 1985 can possibly find The Wedding Singer.
  • enter: As he enters puberty, the line between his two selves - his Jekyll and Hyde - is blurred still further.
  • approach: As Anne approached puberty with all its attendant problems things did not improve - indeed they became steadily worse.
  • include: Epilepsy and its treatment can also affect female health in several ways including puberty, periods, fertility, contraception or pregnancy.
  • start: For instance, starting puberty or producing more urine.

Preposition: at

age: Children with quite severe asthma tend to go into puberty at a later age.

Preposition: as

age: Hence, the argument that Muhammad needed to marry a young girl to establish puberty as the appropriate age for marriage completely fails.

Adjective modifier

  • precocious: The initial diagnosis of precocious puberty hit us hard, feelings of guilt, " why did we not do anything earlier?
  • delayed: With respect to the study on delayed puberty, members noted with interest the possibility that lead can affect hormonal systems.
  • early: Early puberty - first calving at 2 years old.
  • past: It's a miracle anyone survives past puberty, what with all these global crises.
  • female: Researchers in the US found evidence to suggest that hormone disruptors are linked to the lower age of female puberty.
  • normal: Normal puberty takes from 4 to 5 years in both sexes but it is an earlier event in girls than in boys.

Modifies a noun

  • rite: Girls are confirmed at the time of their first menses, but there is no single puberty rite for boys.
  • school: It is, of course, absurd that a girl should attend two puberty schools, if indeed they are puberty schools.
  • ceremony: Although it appears to be dying out, the most notable life crisis ceremony is the girl's puberty ceremony.
  • start: As puberty starts, a girl will start her periods and she can become pregnant.

Preposition: in

  • girl: Among the most worrying observation is the early onset of puberty in girls, possibly linked to the high levels of phytoestrogen in soya.
  • boy: Hormone levels increase at puberty in boys and girls.

Browse dictionary entries near puberty

  1. pub-crawl
  2. pub
  3. Pu
  4. ptyalism
  5. ptyalin
  6. Pty
  7. PTV
  8. ptui
  9. PTT
  10. PTSD
  1. puberulent
  2. pubes
  3. pubescence
  4. pubescent
  5. pubic
  6. pubis
  7. publ
  8. public
  9. public-address system
  10. public assistance