Manhood is the state of being a grown man. Reach manhood, the threshold of manhood, prove his manhood.
It carries an idea of qualification rather than mere age — proving your manhood suggests a test, which is why the word appears in writing about initiation. It is also a coy word for the male genitals. Note the -hood ending, as in childhood and neighbourhood.
1nounmanhoodThe state of being a grown man.
“In some cultures, boys go through a special ceremony to mark their entry into manhood.”
manhood is a state.
Middle English manhode is man plus -hood, an old word meaning state or condition.
Middle English
manhode
English, today
manhood
From Middle English manhode, also manhede (> obsolete manhead), equivalent to man + hood. Cognate with Middle Dutch manheit (“manhood”), Middle Low German manheit (whence German Low German Mannheit (“manhood”)), German Mannheit (“manhood”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA