man ‧ hood /ˈmænhʊd/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ man , ↑ manhood , ↑ mankind ; adjective : ↑ manly ≠ ↑ unmanly , manned ≠ ↑ unmanned , ↑ mannish ; verb : ↑ man ; adverb : ↑ manfully ]
1 . [uncountable] qualities such as strength, courage, and sexual power, that people think a man should have:
Why did he feel he had to prove his manhood in the company of women?
2 . [uncountable] the state of being a man and no longer a boy ⇨ womanhood
reach/attain manhood
He had barely reached manhood when he married.
3 . [uncountable] literary all the men of a particular nation:
America’s manhood
4 . [singular] especially literary a ↑ penis