Virilization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The phenomenon where characteristics typically observed in males develop in females or immature individuals occurs in various biological contexts
2. The occurrence of traits usually linked to masculinity arising in females or children signifies a biological alteration
3. The process in which feminine individuals or juvenile forms begin to exhibit male-associated traits or characteristics is referred to in medical contexts

Etymology: Virilization is a plain compound: "virile" (from Latin "virilis," relating to a man, from "vir," man) with the suffix "-ization," which turns an adjective into a noun for the process of becoming that thing. The suffix itself has a long road behind it. It descends from Greek verbs ending in "-izein," passed into Late Latin as "-izare," then into Old French and Middle English, where it survived as "-ise" and "-ize." The English form "-ize" was then combined with the "-ation" ending, borrowed through French from Latin "-atio," to produce "-ization" for nouns of process. Medicine supplies the word's usual setting. It describes the process in which a female, or a young child, develops male-associated characteristics, most often through excess androgen exposure, as in certain hormonal conditions or tumours. Here the core idea of the word stays intact: the original Latin "virilis" was about manhood, and the suffix simply names the change toward it.

Synonyms: masculinization, manliness, masculinity, manhood, male characteristics

Antonyms: feminization, womanliness, femininity