Added 9 October 2026
manhood
/ˈmænhʊd/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about manhood at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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The state or condition of being a human being.
He feared the speedy decline of all manhood.
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The state or condition of being a man, as contrasted with being a boy, woman, girl, or nonbinary.
He was a strapping youth poised on the brink of manhood.
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All of the men of a given place, area, or any human subgroup (ethnicity, nation, race, religion, family, work crew or ship's crew, etc.) regarded collectively.
(exclusively and universally: only synonymous in cases for which women are excluded, and when the meaning of manhood is universal or worldwide)
Origin
From Middle English manhode, also manhede (> obsolete English manhead), equivalent to man + -hood. Cognate with Middle Dutch manheit (“manhood”), Middle Low German manheit (whence German Low German Mannheit (“manhood”)), German Mannheit (“manhood”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)