Etymologically
Log in

teenage

Etymology and origin of the English word teenage

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1911
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
English teenage
English teenager

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈtiːneɪd͡ʒ/ (UK); /ˈtineɪd͡ʒ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of teen, the years from thirteen to nineteen, and age,[2][3][4] also written “teen age” and “teen-age”.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

In or including the teen years: 1911 in Etymonline, at first of Sunday School classes;[2] designating someone in their teens, 1921 in the OED and MWU.[5][3]

Semantic evolution

Pertaining to or characteristic of a young person in their teens is from 1942.[5] The noun, the period of life between thirteen and nineteen, usually written as two words, is from 1934.[5] The form teen-aged is from 1922 in Etymonline,[2] and teenaged 1952 in the OED.[5]

Timeline

  • 1911 – in the teen years.[2]
  • 1921 – of a person in their teens.[5]
  • 1922 – teen-aged.[2]
  • 1934 – the noun, teen age.[5]
  • 1942 – characteristic of teenagers.[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of or relating to people aged from thirteen to nineteen; adolescent.

Noun

  1. The period of a person's life between thirteen and nineteen.

Word family

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Derived terms

Cite this entry

“Teenage.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/teenage. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·