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virilization

British

/ ˌvɪrɪlaɪˈzeɪʃən /

noun

the development of adult male physical characteristics in a female or a young boy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Semenya does not appear to be insensitive to testosterone; indeed, her muscular build, deep voice, and slender hips suggest a high degree of what doctors call virilization.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2016

Vilain also sees a benefit in assessing intersex athletes for virilization traits, with the goal of making allowances for as many intersex athletes as possible.

From Slate • Aug. 5, 2016

The hormone cortisol, recently synthesized in the lab, had been found to arrest the virilization these girls normally underwent, allowing them to develop as normal females.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023