womanhood

[ woo m-uh n-hoo d ]

/ ˈwʊm ənˌhʊd /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR womanhood ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the state of being a woman; womanly character or qualities.

women collectively: American womanhood.

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Origin of womanhood

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at woman, -hood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for womanhood

The novel is a near perfect portrayal of the emotions of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood.
These Female Contemporaries Weren’t Afraid of Virginia Woolf|Louisa Treger|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those were the valuable aspects of womanhood at the time: being pretty and even-tempered and sweet.
The ‘Maleficent’ Screenwriter Also Wrote ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’|Kevin Fallon|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many of the poems are diagrams and puzzles that seek to look at love, womanhood, motherhood, and the longing for God in new ways.
Exclusive: The National Book Awards Longlist for Poetry|The Daily Beast|September 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Ten dollars, and her little girl, Soheir, would be ready to take her first step on the road to womanhood.
Egypt’s Terrible FGM Death|Alastair Beach|June 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Together, they hover on the edge of reality, dangerously poised somewhere between girlhood and womanhood.
This Week’s Hot Reads: September 3, 2012|Mythili Rao|September 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Health in manhood and womanhood depends on how the health is cared for in childhood.
Health Lessons|Alvin Davison
When Eve ate that particular apple, she became aware of her own womanhood, mentally.
Fantasia of the Unconscious|D. H. Lawrence
Genius is ever in quiet complicity with womanhood, and leaves it in that half-obscurity which is its greatest power.
Rodin: The Man and his Art|Judith Cladel
When material things are found superior to true manhood and womanhood, they must be reversed.
Usury|Calvin Elliott
The law was made for man; the claims and instincts of womanhood must override the decrees of any Consistory Court.
Lola Montez|Edmund B. d'Auvergne

British Dictionary definitions for womanhood

womanhood

/ (ˈwʊmənˌhʊd) /

noun

the state or quality of being a woman or being womanly

women collectively

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

Word Origin and History for womanhood

womanhood

late 14c., "condition of being a woman," also "qualities or characteristics considered natural to a woman," from woman + -hood. Meaning "women collectively" is attested from 1520s.