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countable and uncountable, plural manhoods
The state or condition of being a human being. quotations examples
Thou seemest human and divine,The highest, holiest manhood, thou.
1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], prologue
The state or condition of being a man. quotations examples
Feel awfully about Scott... It was a terrible thing for him to love youth so much that he jumped straight from youth to senility without going through manhood. The minute he felt youth going he was frightened again and thought there was nothing between youth and age.
1936 Feb. 15, Ernest Hemingway, letter to Maxwell Perkins
All of the men of a given place, area, or any human subgroup (ethnicity, nation, race, religion, family, work crew or ship's crew, etc.) regarded collectively. examples
The idealized nature of a man: all of the characteristics traditionally and ideally ascribed to manliness regarded collectively. quotations examples
"And as their valour, so you trow, defiedon aspe'rous voyage cruel harm and sore,so many changing skies their manhood tried,such climes where storm-winds blow and billows roar[.]"
1880, Richard Francis Burton, Os Lusíadas, volume I, page 23
The self-concept of a man being with respect to his possession of the various qualities traditionally and ideally ascribed to manliness; a man's sense or view of himself as being more or less manly. quotations examples
It was a racking experience, and he did not repeat it. The muscular cramps which are characteristic of the complaint were tying the sufferer into knots, and he was biting his lips to shut down the screams which might have relieved his agony at the expense of his manhood.
1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019
(euphemistic) The male genitalia, especially the penis. quotations examples
In the course of a journey the Rabbis [...] came across a young man who had been robbed of his manhood and made a eunuch by a certain witch.
1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 50
A Thai man was taken to hospital to have a sex toy removed with bolt cutters after it got stuck on his penis. He was using the device at home but was left in agony when he could not detach it from his manhood.
2016, Rory Tingle, “Thai man has a sex ring removed with bolt cutters after it became stuck on his penis”, in Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers