Where does “adolescence” come from?
Adolescence comes from Middle English adolescence, from Old French adolescence, from Latin adolescentia, the noun form of adolescens, meaning "growing up," from adolesco, composed of the prefix ad- and a root meaning "to grow."
adolescence (English): The transitional period of physical and...
Definitions
- The transitional period of physical and...
Ancestry of “adolescence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | adolescence | — |
| 2 | Old French | adolescence | adolescence |
| 3 | Latin | adolescentia | nominative neuter plural of adolēscēns;... |
| 4 | Latin | adolescens | growing up, maturing; increasing, augmenting |
| 5 | Latin | adolescere | present active infinitive of adolēscō |