Where does “Teenager” come from?
Teenager (German) comes from English teenager, from English teenage, from English age, from Middle English age, from Old French aage, from Vulgar Latin aetaticum, from Latin aetās, from Latin aevitās — vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning.
Teenager (German): teenager; a person or animal that nibbles tea
Definitions
- teenager; a person or animal that nibbles tea
Ancestry of “Teenager”, step by step
Teenager traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English teenager
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | teenager | A person between 13 and 19 years of age; an... |
| 2 | English | teenage | Brushwood for fences and hedges; Of or relating... |
| 3 | English | age | The whole duration of a being, whether animal,... |
| 4 | Middle English | age | The age of someone or rarely something; how old someone is |
| 5 | Old French | aage | age |
| 6 | Vulgar Latin | aetaticum | age |
| 7 | Latin | aetās | the period of a life: lifetime, lifespan |
| 8 | Latin | aevitās | — |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | aiwotāts | age |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂eyu- | vitality; eternal; vital force, life, long life,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ey- | vital force, life, age, eternity; day, morning |
via German tee
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | tee | tea drink made by infusing parts of a plant, especially leaves or buds of |
| 2 | English | tee | The name of the Latin-script letter T; Something... |
| 3 | Middle English | teen | — |
| 4 | Old English | tēon | to drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to... |
| 5 | Old English | tēohan | — |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | teuhan | to pull; to lead |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | teuhaną | to lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |
via German Nager
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | Nager | rodent |
| 2 | German | -er | Forms agent nouns etc. from verbs, suffixed to... |
| 3 | Old High German | -āri | used to form agent nouns |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -ārī | -er |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -ārijaz | -er |
| 6 | Latin | -ārius | er |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | *-āzios | Forms relational adjectives to nouns (and rarely numerals) |