Where does “adolescent” come from?
adolescent (Middle English) comes from Latin adolescentem, from Latin adolescens, from Latin adolescere — present active infinitive of adolēscō.
Ancestry of “adolescent”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | adolescentem | accusative masculine singular of adolēscēns;... |
| 2 | Latin | adolescens | growing up, maturing; increasing, augmenting |
| 3 | Latin | adolescere | present active infinitive of adolēscō |