menstrual
MEN-stroo-uhl · adjective
Origin
From Middle English menstruall, borrowed from Latin mēnstruālis, itself from mēnstrua ("menses"), the neuter plural of mēnstruus, meaning "monthly" or "of a month." That in turn traces back to mēnsis, "month."
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Journey
The word narrowed over time from a general Latin sense of "monthly" to its specific modern meaning tied to the menstrual cycle.
Related words
Mēnsis, the Latin root for "month," connects this word back to "moon" — the timekeeper whose cycle first gave humans the idea of a month.
More words
From Latin