English
young
Young comes from Middle English yong, from Old English ġeong, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuHn̥ḱós, from *h₂yuh₁en- ‘young’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yuh₁en-1‘young’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yuHn̥ḱós1reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*jungaz1reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*jung1reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ġeong1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yong1‘young’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600young1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English young
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yuh₁en-Wiktionary, English young‘young’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yuHn̥ḱósWiktionary, English youngreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*jungazWiktionary, English youngreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*jungWiktionary, English youngreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150ġeongWiktionary, English young
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500yongWiktionary, English young‘young’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1598–1600youngWiktionary, English young. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1598–1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It: “Come, come, elder brother, you are too young in…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’
early, age, era, diet, junior, juvenile, longevity, enigma, ere, juvenal, 23 more
Today it means
adj In the early part of growth or life; born not long ago.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “young”. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁en- / young