Virilize

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause or become characterized by male physical or behavioral traits, or to impart masculine qualities to something
2. To induce or manifest male features and behaviors, often signifying the transformation or enhancement of masculinity in an individual or entity
3. To bring about the development of masculine traits, reflecting an increase in virility or male attributes in a person or object

Etymology: "Virilize" is a plain formation: the adjective "virile," meaning manly or having the qualities associated with a man, combined with the suffix "-ize," which turns an adjective into a verb meaning to make or become something. To virilize is therefore to make someone or something more masculine, or to cause masculine characteristics to develop. The base word "virile" comes from Latin "virilis," meaning "of a man," itself derived from "vir," "man." The same Latin root gives English words such as "virtue," which once carried the sense of manly strength and courage before its meaning broadened to moral goodness. The suffix "-ize" comes through Latin and Greek and has long been used to form verbs in English, so "virilize" follows a well-established pattern. In medicine, the word is most often used of hormonal effects, such as a female developing male secondary characteristics because of androgen exposure, which shows how a general adjective became a precise technical verb.

Synonyms: masculinize, hormonal treatment, testosterone treatment, male-fy

Antonyms: feminize, devirilize, emasculate