Juvenilis

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Lasting or associated with youth, particularly in qualities or characteristics that reflect a young person's nature
2. Applicable to individuals still in their formative years or in a state of immaturity
3. Related to behaviors, activities, or expressions typical of adolescence or youthful phases of life

Etymology: "Juvenilis" is the Latin adjective from "juvenis," meaning "young man" or "youth," and it was the ordinary Latin word for something belonging to young people. English took it in the 1600s as "juvenile," and the Latin noun "juvenilis" itself was not what gave English its noun sense. Instead, English adapted the adjective, which is why the noun use ("a young person," or a juvenile offender) developed later in English. The root "juvenis" is related to "iuvare," "to help," and the Latin for young people is connected to the Indo-European idea of vigor and strength rather than to any notion of immaturity. Latin speakers did not treat youth as a stage to be pitied; "juvenilis" could praise qualities like energy and vitality. The modern negative sense, as in "juvenile behavior" meaning childish, grew out of this in English, where the word moved from describing a stage of life to judging the behavior of people who should have grown out of it.

Synonyms: juvenile, youthful, young, adolescent, immature

Antonyms: adult, mature, old, aged, senior