Recent Examples on the WebIts leaves were thick, like cardboard, their undersides fuzzy with a soft down botanists call pubescence. Marion Renault, The New Republic, 7 July 2022 The viburnum leaf beetle prefers viburnums with smooth leaves (little hair or pubescence). Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 2 July 2022 The movie, in truth a metaphor for adolescent pubescence and angst, comes out today on Disney+. Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Mar. 2022 After all, his post-pubescence later becomes integral to the romantic narratives of the show. Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, 7 May 2018
Word History
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Medical Definition
pubescence
noun
pu·bes·cence pyü-ˈbes-ᵊn(t)s
: the quality or state of being pubescent : puberty