Puberty
/ˈpjuːbərti/noun
The period of life when a child’s body develops into an adult body capable of reproduction.
Did you know?Puberty comes from Latin pubertas, tied to pubes, meaning “hair,” because in Roman thought the first visible sign of adulthood was the growth of body hair.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peu̯-
“to be ripe, to become full-grown”
Latin
Latin
pubes
“hair of the body; the age of maturity”
Latin
Latin
pubertas
“manhood, maturity; the age of full development”
Old French
Old French
puberté
“puberty, age of sexual maturity”
Late Middle English
English
puberte
“the state or condition of being of age”
Modern English
English
puberty
“the period of physical maturation leading to adulthood”