Etymologically
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juvenile

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:53. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈd͡ʒuːvənaɪl/ (UK); /ˈd͡ʒuvəˌnaɪl/, /ˈd͡ʒuvən(ə)l/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French juvénile and directly Latin iuvenīlis (“of youth, youthful”),[2][3][4] from iuvenis (“young; a young man”) (see young).[3][2][5] In Roman use a iuvenis was in the age just beyond adolescence, from 21 or 25 to 40.[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Young, youthful: 1625, in Francis Bacon's Essays, in Barnhart, the OED and Merriam-Webster.[2][6][4]

Semantic evolution

Belonging to or suited for youth is from 1661 (the 1660s).[6][3] The noun, a young person, is from 1733,[2][3][4] an actor who plays youthful parts from 1890, and a children's book from 1849.[6] Juvenile delinquency is first recorded in 1816, and juvenile delinquent the following year.[3][2] The slang juvie is from 1941 for a juvenile delinquent and 1967 for juvenile detention.[3] Juvenilia, works produced in one's youth, is a 17th-century borrowing.[5]

Timeline

  • 1625 – juvenile, young.[2][6]
  • 1661 – suited to youth.[6]
  • 1733 – a young person.[2][3]
  • 1816 – juvenile delinquency.[3][2]
  • 1941 – juvie.[3]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Young; not fully grown or developed.
  2. Relating to, suited to or intended for young people: juvenile court.
  3. Childish; immature.

Noun

  1. A young person; in law, a minor.
  2. A young animal not yet sexually mature.
  3. An actor who plays young roles.

Word family

  • juvenilely
  • juvenileness
  • prejuvenile
  • unjuvenile
  • juvenilize
  • juvenility
  • juvenile diabetes
  • juvenile hormone

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press