womanhood

[woo m-uh n-hoo d]

See more synonyms for womanhood on Thesaurus.com

noun

the state of being a woman; womanly character or qualities.
women collectively: American womanhood.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for womanhood

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

It may be only a further development of the sin of woman, the wastage of her womanhood.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
It also has direct and urgent bearing on many of the problems of womanhood.
The Truth About Woman
C. Gasquoine Hartley
She was still a child, no doubt, but a child ripening into womanhood.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola
Yes, ever since she had grown into womanhood he had adored her.
Doctor Pascal
Emile Zola
He should reverence his manhood, even as he expected her to 28 reverence her womanhood.
Almost A Man
Mary Wood-Allen

British Dictionary definitions for womanhood

womanhood

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

n.

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.

womanhood

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}womanhood

Examples from the Web for womanhood

Contemporary Examples

The novel is a near perfect portrayal of the emotions of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood.

Those were the valuable aspects of womanhood at the time: being pretty and even-tempered and sweet.

Many of the poems are diagrams and puzzles that seek to look at love, womanhood, motherhood, and the longing for God in new ways.

Ten dollars, and her little girl, Soheir, would be ready to take her first step on the road to womanhood.

Together, they hover on the edge of reality, dangerously poised somewhere between girlhood and womanhood.

Historical Examples

It may be only a further development of the sin of woman, the wastage of her womanhood.

It also has direct and urgent bearing on many of the problems of womanhood.

She was still a child, no doubt, but a child ripening into womanhood.

Yes, ever since she had grown into womanhood he had adored her.

He should reverence his manhood, even as he expected her to 28 reverence her womanhood.

womanhood

Word Origin and History for womanhood

n.

Origin of womanhood