Puberty — refers to the process of physical changes by which a child s body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from the brain to the gonads (the ovaries and testes). In response, the gonads produce a… … Wikipedia
puberty — [pyo͞o′bər tē] n. [ME puberte < L pubertas < puber, of ripe age, adult, prob. akin to puer, boy] the stage of physical development when secondary sex characteristics develop and sexual reproduction first becomes possible: in common law, the … English World dictionary
Puberty — Pu ber*ty, n. [L. pubertas, fr. puber, pubes, adult: cf. F. pubert[ e].] 1. The earliest age at which persons are capable of begetting or bearing children, usually considered, in temperate climates, to be about fourteen years in males and twelve… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
puberty — index adolescence Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
puberty — (n.) the time of life in which the two sexes begin first to be acquainted [Johnson], late 14c., from O.Fr. puberté, from L. pubertatem (nom. pubertas) age of maturity, manhood, from pubes (gen. pubertis) adult, full grown, manly … Etymology dictionary
puberty — puberty, pubescence *youth, adolescence … New Dictionary of Synonyms
puberty — [n] young adulthood adolescence, awkward stage*, boyhood, girlhood, greenness*, high school years, juvenescence, juvenility, potency, preadolescence, pubescence, spring*, springtide*, springtime*, teenage years, teens, youth, youthfulness;… … New thesaurus
puberty — ► NOUN ▪ the period during which adolescents reach sexual maturity and become capable of reproduction. DERIVATIVES pubertal adjective. ORIGIN Latin pubertas, from puber adult , related to pubes (see PUBES(Cf. ↑pubes)) … English terms dictionary
puberty — /pyooh beuhr tee/, n. 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. [1350 1400; ME puberte < L pubertas adulthood, equiv.… … Universalium
puberty — noun VERB + PUBERTY ▪ enter, hit (informal), reach ▪ She hit puberty a year before any of her friends. ▪ He reached puberty at the age of fourteen. ▪ approach … Collocations dictionary
PUBERTY — It was estimated that puberty, defined by the appearance of two pubic hairs, began in women early in the 13th year, and in men about the start of the 14th year, and for that reason maturity was regarded as beginning legally from the age of 12… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
