muttonhood

English

Etymology

From mutton +‎ -hood.

Noun

muttonhood (uncountable)

  1. The state or period of being an adult sheep.
    • 1841, Joseph Hewlett, ‎Theodore Edward Hook, The Parish Clerk (volume 1, page 59)
      […] when they grew up to adolescent muttonhood, it required all the prowess and interference of the papa sheep to prevent them from breaking each other's skulls by their constant tiltings and buttings.
    • 2012, Alexander McCall Smith, Sunshine on Scotland Street:
      […] everything, it seemed, was lamb because lambs presumably did not have the chance to reach muttonhood.
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