menarche

Definition

The onset of menstruation; a girl's first period.

Etymology

First attested 1900, from German Menarche, formed from meno- + -arche.

Example Sentences

• "How old is she? Nine? Ten? The menarche is not far off – a hint of a bosom, poor child."
• "The most potent and indeed dangerous of all menstrual blood was the menarche, the first day's flow of the first menstruation of a virgin girl."
• "Initiation is imagined, but the initiate is not the young girl in menarche, about to be wed to the moon, but a young man about to become a great hunter."