Juvenile
/ˈdʒuːvənaɪl/noun
Relating to young people or characteristic of youth; immature.
Did you know?‘Juvenile’ descends from Latin *iuvenilis*, and its root *iuven-* also lives on in words like ‘young’ and ‘junior,’ all orbiting the same ancient idea of youth as power before it hardens into age.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*yeu-
“to be strong, vital, youthful”
Latin
LA
iuvenis
“a young person; young, youthful”
Latin
LA
iuvenilis
“youthful; belonging to youth”
Old French
OF
juvenile
“youthful, young”
Late Middle English
English
juvenile
“youthful; of or relating to young people”
Modern English
English
juvenile
“relating to young people or characteristic of youth; immature”