iuvenis

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈjʊ.wɛ.nɪs]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈjuː.ve.nis]^[1]

Forms

iuvenis m or f (genitive iuvenis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *juwen- (“young”), inherited from Proto-Indo-European *h₂iu-h₁en- (“having vital force, young”), an n-stem later made into an i-stem.^[2] The comparative iūnior is contracted from iuvenior.^[2] Cognate with Sanskrit युवन् (yúvan-, “young, young man”), Avestan yuuan- (“youth”), Lithuanian jáunas (“young”) and Old Church Slavonic юнъ (junŭ, “young”).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus uses it.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

As a noun it was a young man, technically any adult man up to forty-five, a young person of either sex, and in the plural the members of local clubs of young men.^[3] Wiktionary places it between adulēscēns and senex.^[1] As an adjective it was young of persons and animals, youthful in looks, and fresh of plants.^[3][5]

Medieval writers used the adjective of persons, animals and plants.^[6] It survives as Italian giovane, Spanish joven, Portuguese jovem and Romanian june.^[1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.^[2][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of a young man.^[7][4]
• c. 560–636 AD – Isidore explains the name from iuvāre “to help”.^[8][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. A young man, youth (in law, any man up to forty-five).^[3][9]
2. A young person; a young woman.^[3]
3. In the plural, members of a club of young men.^[3]

Adjective

1. Young, youthful.^[3][9]
2. Fresh, vigorous (of plants).^[3]

Related words

• aevum
• iūgis
• iūs
• iuvencus
• iūnior
• English young
• English juvenile

Usage notes

Isidore says the young man is so called because he begins to be able to help (iuvāre), as young bullocks are called iuvencī.^[8] English young is a Germanic cognate, from Old English geong.^[10]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
6. ^ Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
7. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ a b Isidore of Seville, Etymologiarum sive Originum libri XX, ed. W. M. Lindsay (Oxford, 1911).
9. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com