Pubertal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterizing the developmental phase when significant changes occur, this stage involves transitions leading to sexual maturity and the ability to reproduce
2. Relating to the stage of physical and emotional development in which individuals experience biological changes that prepare them for sexual maturity and reproductive capability
3. Pertaining to the phase in life marked by notable physical transformations and emotional growth, culminating in the ability to reproduce and experience puberty's effects

Etymology: "Pubertal" is formed from "puberty" plus the adjectival suffix "-al". "Puberty" comes from Latin "pubertas", meaning the condition of having reached adult age, and that noun derives from "pubes", a word for adult, grown-up, with a sense tied to the body's hair and maturity. The Latin root carried the idea of attaining full adult strength rather than a narrow biological event. English took "puberty" from Middle French, where the word was already in use, and the adjective "pubertal" was built on it in English later. The adjective is a straightforward derivation, so it needs no separate history beyond the noun it grows from. The most useful thing to know is that the word describes a process rather than a single moment. Its Latin ancestor pointed to the arrival of adult capacity, and "pubertal" carries that same idea into medical and everyday English, applying to the changes that lead up to it.

Synonyms: adolescent, teenage, growing, developing, maturing

Antonyms: adult, mature, senile, aged, elderly