adolescent (English)

Where does "adolescent" come from?

The English adjective 'adolescent' emerged in 1785[1], continuing a word inherited from Middle English 'adolescent', which first appeared around 1440[1]. It entered English either through Middle French 'adolescent' or straight from Latin 'adolescentem'[1]. This Latin form is the accusative singular of 'adolescens'[1], the present participle of 'adolescere', meaning 'to grow up' or 'become adult'[1][2]. The verb itself was formed from the prefix 'ad-', meaning 'to', and 'alescere', meaning 'to grow or become nourished'[1], which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂el-', meaning 'grow'.

Open questions

• It is uncertain whether the Middle English form was borrowed via Middle French or taken directly from Latin. [1]
• The earliest Middle English attestation around 1440 is tentative. [1]

Full etymology tree

• adolescent (English), 'Of, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.'
  • derived adolescent (Middle English)
    • borrowed adolescent (Middle French)
      • borrowed adolescentem (Latin), 'accusative masculine/feminine singular of adolēscēns'
        • inherited adolescens (Latin), 'growing up, maturing'
          • derived adolescere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of adolēscō'
            • prefix ad- (Latin), 'to'
            • affix alescere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of alēscō'
    • borrowed adolescentem (Latin), 'accusative masculine/feminine singular of adolēscēns'
      • inherited adolescens (Latin), 'growing up, maturing'
        • derived adolescere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of adolēscō'
          • prefix ad- (Latin), 'to'
          • affix alescere (Latin), 'present active infinitive of alēscō'

Ancestors

• adolescentem (Latin)

Descendants and derived words

• adolescently (English)
• adultescent (English)
• mid-adolescent (English)
• middlescent (English)
• nonadolescent (English)
• nonadolescent (English)
• periadolescent (English)
• postadolescent (English)
• postadolescent (English)
• preadolescent (English)
• preadolescent (English)
• subadolescent (English)

Sources

1. adolescent (English) - Wiktionary
2. adolescens (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris