The state, time, or condition of being a girl; the period of life from childhood through adolescence for females.
From girl + -hood (Old English -had meaning condition or state), creating an abstract noun. The suffix -hood also appears in childhood, manhood, and priesthood.
The emergence of 'girlhood' as a distinct life stage is actually fairly recent—before the industrial era, girls moved more directly to adult roles, so the modern concept of a protected girlhood is a relatively young invention.
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