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puberty  

Definition

  • Puberty is defined as the period of human development during which physical growth and sexual maturation occur and a child's body becomes an adult's body, capable of reproduction. Strictly speaking, the term puberty (derived from the Latin word puberatum, meaning “age of maturity”) refers to the bodily changes of sexual maturation, whereas adolescence, by contrast, is the term that refers to the psychosocial transition between childhood and adulthood. [Source: Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World The Multimedia Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World; Puberty]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/puberty

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