young
/jʌŋ/
adjective
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*yuwen- — young
Overview
Meaning Now
- Having lived or existed for only a short time; not old.
- In an early stage of development or growth.
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
geong
Earliest period
Old English
Journey
The word is a cognate with Latin 'iuvenis', demonstrating the deep connection between Germanic and Italic branches of the Indo-European language family.
Evolution
- Proto-Indo-European
*yuwen-
“young”
- Proto-Germanic
*jungaz
“young”
- Old English
geong
“young”
- Middle English
yong
“young”
Connections
Word parts
young
root
youthful state
Related across languages
German
jung
young
Latin
iuvenis
young
Sanskrit
yuvan
young
Explore next
Related to young
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.