masculinize

American  

[mas-kyuh-luh-nahyz] / ˈmæs kyə ləˌnaɪz /

especially British, masculinise

verb (used with object)

masculinized, masculinizing

1. Medicine/Medical. to produce certain male secondary sex characteristics in (a female).

2. to make masculine in character, quality, or appearance.

   The presence of two large leather sofas seemed to masculinize the whole room.

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masculinize British  

/ ˈmæskjʊlɪnˌaɪz /

verb

1. to make or become masculine, esp to cause (a woman) to show male secondary sexual characteristics as a result of taking steroids

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Other Word Forms

• demasculinization noun
• demasculinize verb (used with object)
• masculinization noun

Etymology

Origin of masculinize

First recorded in 1920–25; masculine + -ize

Example Sentences

In these conditions, the androgens cannot masculinize the brain or the body, despite the XY genetic makeup.

From Scientific American • Jul. 27, 2013

Puzzling as it may seem, moreover, low levels of estrogen feminize the brain, whereas high levels masculinize it.

From Scientific American • Jul. 26, 2013

And some of that is then changed into estradiol, which goes on to masculinize the brain.

From Scientific American • Jul. 26, 2013

According to some experimenters, the presence of the male hormone testosterone in the fetus may "masculinize" the brain, organizing the fetal nerve centers in characteristic ways.

From Time Magazine Archive

V. masculinize Adj. male, he-, masculine; manly, virile; unwomanly, unfeminine.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark