'womanhood' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'wīfmannhād', where 'wīfmann' meant 'woman' and '-hād' meant 'state or condition'.

'wīfmannhād' transformed into the Middle English word 'wommanhede', and eventually became the modern English word 'womanhood'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of being a woman', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.