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teens

Etymology and origin of the English word teens

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1604

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /tiːnz/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from -teen, as in thirteen, used as a word in its own right, with the plural -s.[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The years of a person's life from 13 to 19: 1673, in Wycherley's The Gentleman Dancing Master;[2] the 1670s in Etymonline.[3] MWU dates it to 1604.[4]

Semantic evolution

Numbers ending in -teen, especially ages, are by 1885,[3][6] and the decade of years ending in -teen, as the 1910s, by 1889.[3]

Timeline

  • 1604 – first use (MWU).[4]
  • 1673 – the years from 13 to 19.[2]
  • 1885 – numbers ending in -teen.[3]
  • 1889 – a decade of years.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The years of a person's life between the ages of 13 and 19.
  2. The numbers from 13 to 19.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Teens.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/teens. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·