virility

Virility is the quality traditionally linked with being a strong, fully grown man, especially in terms of sexual power, physical energy, and the ability to father children. Picture a man in his prime, full of force and life; that is the usual image behind the word. It often appears in writing about masculinity, aging, health, or old ideals of manhood. You might read that someone kept his virility into old age, or that illness seemed to weaken it. The word carries a strong cultural sense of what people have long thought a man should be.

The word virility comes from the Latin virilis ("manly"), from vir ("man"). From the start, it was tied to ideas of manliness, strength, and male power. In older writing, it could suggest the full set of qualities people traditionally admired in men: vigor, courage, force, and sexual power. Over time, though, the meaning became more focused. Today, virility most often refers to a man's sexual potency, physical vigor, or ability to father children. If a novel says that an older man still has his virility, it usually means he still has masculine energy or sexual strength.

At the same time, virility is not only a biological idea. It also carries cultural weight, because it reflects traditional views of masculinity. In history, literature, and older styles of writing, the word can suggest boldness, toughness, and the kind of strength once expected of men in war, leadership, or family life. That broader sense still exists, but it is less common than the sexual or physical one.

It is also worth noting that virility can sound old-fashioned or loaded in modern English, because it leans on traditional gender roles. For that reason, it appears more often in literature, history, journalism, or formal discussion than in casual everyday speech. Overall, the word points to masculine power, especially sexual and physical strength, but it also carries older cultural ideas about what it means to be a man.