Etymograph

English

adolescent

Adolescent may come from Middle English adolescent.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adolescent1uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1785adolescent1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English adolescent
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1785, William Cowper: “Schools, unless discipline were doubly strong, / Detain their…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adolescentWiktionary, English adolescentuncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1785adolescentWiktionary, English adolescent. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1785, William Cowper: “Schools, unless discipline were doubly strong, / Detain their…”

first attested 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”) (as stated in Wiktionary’s etymology)

The story

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.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

as, all, old, else, adult, el, ultimate, ultra, alternate, alien, elder, alter, element, altitude, alumni, qualification, outrage, alt, altar, ou, ellen, alpine, alto, alias, abolish, alum, alibi, retaliate, alimony, alp, altruism, auld, ulterior, parallax, proletariat, exalt, foetal, althea, altimeter, eld, 65 more

through Latin alēscō ‘to grow or become nourished’

coalition, coalesce

Today it means

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

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “adolescent”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English adolescent / adolescent

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