defloration

American

[def-luh-rey-shuhn, dee-fluh-] / ˌdɛf ləˈreɪ ʃən, ˌdi flə- /

noun

the act of deflowering.

defloration British

/ ˌdiːflɔːˈreɪʃən /

noun

the act of deflowering

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of defloration

1350–1400; Middle English defloracioun < Old French defloracion < Late Latin dēflōrātiōn- (stem of dēflōrātiō ) a plucking of flowers, equivalent to dēflōrāt ( us ) (past participle of dēflōrāre to deflower ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Watts, V. M. Growth and fruiting responses to pruning and defloration of tomato plants.

From Project Gutenberg

Her defloration, tender, refined and entirely without violence, is a small miracle.

From The Guardian

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023