Etymograph

English

juvenile

Juvenile comes from Latin iuvenīlis ‘youthful’, from iuvenis ‘young’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-‘vital force, life, age, eternity’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyu‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwHō‘young’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*juwō‘young’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuvenis‘young’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuvenīlis‘youthful’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1659juvenile

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ey-‘vital force, life, age, eternity’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂óyu‘long time, lifetime’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂yéwHō‘young’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*juwō‘young’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuvenis‘young’
  6. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEiuvenīlis‘youthful’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1659juvenile

Earliest quotation: 1659, John Gauden, Sighs: “Adde to this diſsipated and diſtracted ſtate of Miniſters,…”

The story

Iuvenis is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂yuh₁en- (‘young’), from *h₂óyu (‘long life; lifetime’) (from *h₂ey- (‘age; life’)) + *h₁én (‘in’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- ‘vital force, life, age, eternity’

early, young, era, diet, ere, enigma, 25 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂óyu ‘long time, lifetime’

yet, age, longevity, 8 more

through Latin iuvenis ‘young’

junior, 1 more

Today it means

adj Young; not fully developed.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ey- / juvenile

Shirt and support for this word