Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The stage of adolescence in which an individual becomes physiologically capable of sexual reproduction.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The condition of being able to reproduce; sexual maturity in the human race.
- noun In botany, the period when a plant begins to bear flowers.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun 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 in females.
- noun (Bot.) The period when a plant first bears flowers.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun the age at which a person is first capable of sexual reproduction
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the time of life when sex glands become functional
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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But, apart from such confusions, the term puberty is used in various senses.
The Sexual Life of the Child Albert Moll 1900
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The term puberty will so often be used in the following chapters that
Youth and Sex Mary Scharlieb 1887
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This article by psychology professor J. Michael Bailey explains the distinctions between pedophiles, hebephiles (people — almost unanimously men — attracted to children in puberty) and other sexual orientations or proclivities.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Enough with the Ridiculous Hyperbole! 2010
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This article by psychology professor J. Michael Bailey explains the distinctions between pedophiles, hebephiles (people — almost unanimously men — attracted to children in puberty) and other sexual orientations or proclivities.
The Volokh Conspiracy » Enough with the Ridiculous Hyperbole! 2010
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So, even if Clem on the cusp of puberty is Hail Mary assumption 2 for this episode, it might have worked as a plot point to save the children if anyone had made the slightest effort to develop it.
Torchwood: CoE one more time rabid1st 2009
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Mrs. Sandord bore FOUR BOYS and all of them are either teens or in puberty stage.
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From a business standpoint, the teenage boy going through puberty is the best demographic they can aim for, and in most cases need to aim for if they want to make anything close to a profit.
Kicking The Dog SVGL 2009
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For instance, “mutant” powers normally manifest in puberty according to the X-men.
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It seemed that we'd hit that magical time in puberty when wisdom teeth had to be removed.
Oh what difference thirty years make wen_spencer 2008
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USA Today thinks going through puberty is the same as getting fat
Boing Boing 2008
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