Where did the word menopause come from?
Have we always used the same word?
Womenopause would, on the surface, seem more appropriate.
So, I decided to look it up. It came to us in 1852 from France. Our two countries were very close then and our words were more intermingled. They got if from the medical Latin (menopausis). The Romans took it from the Greeks (men) meaning "month" (see moon) + pausis (a cessation or pause). There we have it. It is always hidden in the language.
Before that it was referred to as, "change of life".
Is this better? Or does it sound like when you say your dog is, "in season"?
Are we hiding behind the words? I'm not sure but I know that I am embarrassed saying "menopause" as it makes me feel so old. Maybe it's time for a new word, a more appropriate word to describe the liberating effect of this time in our life.

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