Adolescere

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To develop or come into maturity ; to grow from youth toward full development
2. Describing the process of advancing from a youthful state to mature adulthood ; the act of maturing or reaching full physical or mental form
3. Referring to the act of progressing from childhood to a state of fuller maturity ; experiencing growth, both physically and mentally, toward a mature stage

Etymology: Latin "adolescere" was a compound of "ad-", meaning "to" or "toward," and "alescere," an inchoative verb from "alere," "to nourish or grow." Its core sense was "to grow up" or "to grow," describing the process of a young creature maturing toward full strength. The verb's past participle, "adultus," gave English "adult," and the present participle "adolescens" gave English "adolescent," which is the form most people now know. The Latin noun "adolescens" was used for a young man roughly between childhood and full maturity, so the modern sense of a life stage, rather than a process, developed from the noun. English borrowed "adolescent" and its relatives from Latin, while the verb itself is rarely used in English outside of learned or Latin-based contexts.

Synonyms: to grow up, to mature, to develop

Antonyms: to regress, to decline