womanhood

[ woom-uhn-hood ]

noun

1. the state of being a woman; womanly character or qualities.
2. women collectively:

   American womanhood.

womanhood

/ ˈwʊmənˌhʊd /

noun

1. the state or quality of being a woman or being womanly
2. women collectively

Word History and Origins

Origin of womanhood¹

A Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; woman, -hood

Example Sentences

Among the background figures in her purported one-woman show, however, he casts the longest shadow – a fascinating bit of embroidery on what is essentially the story of America’s relationship with womanhood.

From Salon

Of course, this is a very old narrative that goes back to the early days of colonial America, when white male European settlers were the protectors of white womanhood against the dangerous Native American “savages.”

From Salon

She memorized poems such as “Still I Rise” as if she were “taking notes on my impending womanhood.”

From Los Angeles Times

Steiner’s installation helps unravel perhaps the oldest, most powerful source of the problematic fusion of nature and womanhood in ordinary cultural conceptions.

From Los Angeles Times

Her mastery of the medium matched that of Madonna and Michael Jackson in the 1980s - with the videos for her Lemonade album acting as a powerful celebration of black womanhood and female power.

From BBC