Adulescens

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a young person in the period of adolescence, characterized by the transition from childhood to adulthood
2. It describes an individual who is undergoing the developmental changes typical of teenage years, often relating to physical and emotional growth
3. Used to denote someone in the stage of life where they are evolving from youthful innocence to more mature responsibilities and experiences

Etymology: In Roman comedy, the adulescens was a stock character: a young man, usually the hero, who is in love, short of money, and dependent on a clever slave to get him out of trouble. Plautus and Terence filled their plays with such figures, so the term described a dramatic type as much as an age. The Latin word comes from the verb "adolescere," meaning "to grow up," which itself was built on "alere," "to nourish." "Adulescens" is a variant spelling that Latin writers used alongside "adolescens," and the latter is the source of the English "adolescent," which keeps the sense of a person still growing toward maturity.

Synonyms: youth, young person, adolescent

Antonyms: adult, elder, senior