muliebrity

American  

[myoo-lee-eb-ri-tee] / ˌmyu liˈɛb rɪ ti /

noun

1. womanly nature or qualities.

2. womanhood.

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muliebrity British  

/ ˌmjuːlɪˈɛbrɪtɪ /

noun

1. the condition of being a woman

2. femininity

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Other Word Forms

• muliebral
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of muliebrity

1585–95; < Late Latin muliēbritās womanhood, equivalent to Latin muliēbri ( s ) womanly (derivative of mulier woman) + -tās -ty ²

Explanation

A persons's muliebrity is her femininity or womanliness. An idolizing kindergartner might admire her dress-wearing, curly-haired teacher's muliebrity. The noun muliebrity is quite uncommon, and today it's almost always used in a literary context. A poet might describe a beautiful woman's muliebrity, for example. The word comes from the Late Latin word muliebritas, "state of womanhood," which is rooted in one of the Latin words for "woman," mulier.