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Adolescent

//ˌædəˈlɛsənt// adj, noun

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.

    "Schools, unless discipline were doubly strong, / Detain their adolescent charge too long."

Adjective
  1. 1
    in the state of development between puberty and maturity wordnet
  2. 2
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity wordnet
  3. 3
    being of the age 13 through 19 wordnet
  4. 4
    relating to or peculiar to or suggestive of an adolescent wordnet
Noun
  1. 1
    A person who is in adolescence; someone who has reached puberty but is not yet an adult.

    "Besides, there are a great many of these accusers, and they have been accusing me now for a great many years; and what is more, they approached you at the most impressionable age, when some of you were children or adolescents; and they literally won their case by default, because there was no one to defend me."

  2. 2
    a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

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.

Etymology 2

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.

See also for "adolescent"

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