maidhood

1 9.9

The time when a girl is young before she becomes an adult

noun
/ˈmeɪdˌhʊd/

Archaic

: niñez

Through poetry, she reminisced about her maidhood and the innocence she once had.

Examples

Her maidhood was spent in the quiet countryside, learning the ways of her family.
The tale speaks of a princess in her maidhood, untouched by the cares of the world.
Her maidhood was filled with dreams and adventures.
Many girls cherish their maidhood as a time of innocence.
Her maidhood was filled with carefree days of playing in the sun.
During her maidhood, she dreamed of becoming a doctor one day.
In her maidhood, she learned the importance of friendship and honesty.

Synonyms

girlhood

vsmaidhood

6 2.2

The time when a girl is a child or young person

focuses specifically on the time before becoming an adult

maidenhood

vsmaidhood

Archaic

1 9.3

A girl's time before she gets married

focuses on the time before becoming an adult rather than before marriage

Antonyms

maturity

96 3.3

A state of being fully grown in body, mind, or feelings

adulthood

64 3.1

The time in life when a person is fully grown and has more responsibilities

How Young

maidhood

Archaic

1 9.9

adolescence

56 3.9

girlhood

6 2.2

childhood

742 1.0

infancy

32 3.7

Surface Forms

maidhood singular

maidhoods plural

Morphology

maidhood = maid (transparent) = maid + hood

Direct formation from 'maid' + the noun-forming suffix '-hood' meaning the state or period of being a maid.

Etymology

Maidhood comes from maid, which meant 'young woman' or 'maiden', and the ending -hood means 'state' or 'time of life', just like in childhood. So, maidhood is the period of being a maid — a girl's years before adulthood.