Virility

Look up virility in
Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Virility refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. It is not applicable to women or to negative charateristics. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED1) says virile is "marked by strength or force." Virility is commonly associated with vigour, health, sturdiness, and constitution, especially in the fathering of children. In this last sense, virility is to men as fertility is to women. OED1 also notes an obsolete use of virile in this sense for a "nubile"OED young woman — "a maide that is Mariageable or ripe for a Husband, or Virill."Hexham, Manbaer, 1648.

The word itself is derived from the Latin word vir meaning simply "man" (in a gender specific sense). The German for "virility" is Manneskraft — the strength of a man.

Historically, masculine attributes such as beard growth have been seen as signs of virility and leadership (for example in ancient Egypt and Rome).Schiebinger, Londa 1993.

As a term for positive reference, virility does not accord with feminisms that put forward various deconstructions of masculinity.Sheryl Plant, \'Deconstructing Masculinity\', TheFWord.org.uk, updated 11 February 2006. According to these points of view, virility is redefined as an outdated abstraction, impacting negatively on women via unwanted sexual activity, and unwanted pregnancies. Gail Kligman, The Politics of Duplicity: Controlling Reproduction in Ceausescu\'s Romania, (University of California Press, 1998), p. 249.

Compare with

• muliebrity

Citations

References

• Schiebinger, Londa (1993), Nature\'s Body, Beacon Press

This sexuality-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia