puberty
Use Puberty in a sentence
bər noun
the period or age at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction of offspring: in common law, presumed to be 14 years in the male and 12 years in the female.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English puberte < Latin pūbertās adulthood, equivalent to pūber-, stem of pūbēs grown-up + -tās -ty2
1350–1400; Middle English puberte < Latin pūbertās adulthood, equivalent to pūber-, stem of pūbēs grown-up + -tās -ty2
Related forms
post·pu·ber·ty, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To puberty
Collins
World English Dictionary
puberty (ˈpjuːbətɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| Also called: pubescence the period at the beginning of adolescence when the sex glands become functional and the secondary sexual characteristics emergeRelated: hebetic | |
| Related: hebetic | |
| [C14: from Latin pūbertās maturity, from pūber adult] | |
| 'pubertal | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Puberty
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
puberty
"the time of life in which the two sexes begin first to be acquainted" [Johnson], 1382, from O.Fr. puberté, from L. pubertatem (nom. pubertas) "age of maturity, manhood," from pubes (gen. pubertis) "adult, full-grown, manly."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
puberty pu·ber·ty (py&oomacr;'bər-tē)
n.
The stage of adolescence in which an individual becomes physiologically capable of sexual reproduction.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
puberty (py 'bər-tē) Pronunciation Key
The stage in the development of humans and other primates marked by the development of secondary sex characteristics, including menarche in females. In humans, puberty occurs at the onset of adolescence, between the ages of about 11 and 14 in girls and 13 and 16 in boys. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Medullation of these fibers begins about the time of birth and continues until puberty.
Primary and secondary amenorrhea and precocious puberty: etiology, diagnostic evaluation, management.
Times of life when males are swimming in testosterone--for example, after reaching puberty--correspond to when aggression peaks.
They are present as minute cavities at birth, but their main development takes place after puberty.
Nearby Words
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