peripubescent
UK/ˌpɛɹipjʊˈbɛsənt/
peripubescent adjective: of the first onset of puberty; in the early stages of puberty; that is or are becoming pubescent.
Adjective
peripubescent (not comparable)
- Of the first onset of puberty; in the early stages of puberty; that is or are becoming pubescent.
- But it is acknowledged that the term, adolescence, is applicable to the last phase of childhood, to the peripubescent phase, and that it denotes especially the last relatively insignificant thrust of the lengthening of the body by the lower limbs.1920: Paul Godin [aut.] and Samuel L. Eby [tr.], Growth During School Age: Its Application to Education, page 36 (R. G. Badger)
- However, it appears that the age-specific rates of child abuse form a peculiar, trimodal distribution with peaks for infants, two-year olds, and peripubescent children (cf. Lenington, 1981, Figs. 1–3).1982: Ethology and Sociobiology, volumes 3–4, page 63 (Elsevier North-Holland, Inc.)
- Synonyms:
- preteen
Synonyms of peripubescent
Origin of peripubescent
First attested in 1920: peri- (“around”, “round about”) + pubescent.
Questions about peripubescent
- What does peripubescent mean?
- Peripubescent means of the first onset of puberty; in the early stages of puberty; that is or are becoming pubescent.
- What part of speech is peripubescent?
- Peripubescent is an adjective.
- How do you pronounce peripubescent?
- Peripubescent is pronounced /ˌpɛɹipjʊˈbɛsənt/ (UK).
Words near peripubescent in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: peripubescent (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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