ménopause (French)

Where does "ménopause" come from?

The French noun 'ménopause' was coined in 1821 by French physician Charles de Gardanne[1]. The word is formed from the combination of 'méno-' and '-pause'[1], referring to the period in a woman's life when menstruation becomes irregular and less frequent before eventually stopping altogether[1].

Full etymology tree

• ménopause (French), 'menopause (period in a woman's life when menstruation becomes irregular and less frequent before eventually stopping altogether)'
  • confix méno- (French), 'month; menstruation; meno-'
  • confix -pause (French), '-pause'

Ancestors

• méno- (French)
• -pause (French)

Descendants and derived words

• ménopausé (French)

Sources

1. ménopause (French) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris