English Explanatory Dictionary

adolescent

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.
noun
  1. A person who is in adolescence; someone who has reached puberty but is not yet an adult.

Pronunciation

ăd'əlĕsʹənt /ˌæd.əˈlɛs.ənt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-adolescent.wav /əˈɖo.lᵻ.sᵻnʈ/

Word forms

adolescent more adolescent most adolescent adolescents

Etymology

First attested ?1440, from Middle English adolescent, from Middle French adolescent or directly from Latin adolescentem, accusative form of adolescens, present participle of adolēscere (“to become adult, grow up”), from ad- (“to”) + alēscere (“to grow or become nourished”). The adjective first appeared in 1785.

Related words

adolescence adult

Derived words

adolescently adultescent mid-adolescent middlescent nonadolescent periadolescent postadolescent preadolescent subadolescent
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