| 释义 |
puberty|ˈpjuːbətɪ|
[ME. puberte = F. puberté (1474 in Hatz.–Darm.), ad. L. pūbertās, -tāt- the age of maturity, the signs of puberty, f. pūber or pūbēs: see puber.]
1. a. The state or condition of having become functionally capable of procreating offspring, which is characterized by various symptoms in each sex, as by the appearance of hair on the pubes, and on the face in the male.
In England the legal age of puberty is fourteen in boys and twelve in girls, but the actual time of development varies in different climates and environment and with different individuals.
1382Wyclif Mal. ii. 14 Bitwixe thee and the wijf of thi pubertee [gloss, that is, tyme of mariage]. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. vi. v. (Bodl. MS.), Er þei come to þe ȝere of puberte. 1549Compl. Scot. iv. 29 Oure ȝong illustir princis be ane tendir pupil, ande nocht entrit in the aige of puberte. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 344 Though hee knew old age he was never acquainted with puberty, youth, or Infancy. 1774Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 68 When they arrive near the age of puberty. a1862Buckle Misc. Wks. (1872) I. 352 In towns, women reach puberty sooner than they do in the country.
b. attrib. Connected with the attainment of the age of puberty.
1908Athenæum 11 Apr. 444/1 Puberty rites, which are found in full vigour notably in Australia. Ibid. 444/2 Dr. Webster supposes these societies to arise on the basis of the puberty institutions. 1924A. Lipschütz (title) The internal secretions of the sex glands: the problem of the ‘puberty gland’. 1971Canad. Antiques Collector Sept.–Oct. 4 Arapaho Painted Hide Puberty Robe 67 × 46 inches. 1978New York 3 Apr. 32/2 Masks and helmets used in puberty rites of Sierra Leone and Liberia.
2. transf. Of plants: The state or stage of bearing flowers or fruit. rare.
1827H. Steuart Planter's G. (1828) 454 All Trees have, I think, after they arrive at the age of puberty,..more slender shoots at the extremities of the branches. 1837Penny Cycl. IX. 224/2 We prevent the full flow of the sap..and thus advance the age of puberty and bring on a fruit⁓bearing state. |