| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| young |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  y ng |
| ADJECTIVE: | Inflected forms: young·er, young·est
1. Being in an early period of life, development, or growth. 2. Newly begun or formed; not advanced: The evening is still young. 3. Of, belonging to, or suggestive of youth or early life: He is young for his age. 4. Vigorous or fresh; youthful. 5. Lacking experience; immature: a young hand at plowing. 6. Being the junior of two people having the same name. 7. Geology Being of an early stage in a geologic cycle. Used of bodies of water and land formations. | | NOUN: | 1. Young persons considered as a group; youth: entertainment for the young. 2. Offspring; brood: a lioness with her young. | | IDIOM: | with young Pregnant. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English yong, from Old English geong. See yeu- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | young ness —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | young, youthful, adolescent, immature, juvenile, puerile, green These adjectives mean of, relating to, characteristic of, or being in an early period of growth or development. Young is the most general of the terms: a young child. Youthful suggests characteristics, such as enthusiasm, freshness, or energy, that are associated with youth: youthful ardor. Adolescent specifically implies the characteristics of those in the period between childhood and maturity: adolescent insecurity. Immature applies to what is not yet fully developed; it sometimes suggests that someone falls short of an expected level of maturity: an emotionally immature adult. Juvenile connotes immaturity, often childishness: the juvenile pranks of the conventioneers. Puerile is used derogatorily to suggest silliness, foolishness, or infantilism: a puerile joke. Green implies lack of training or experience and sometimes callowness: green recruits who couldn't deal with the emergency.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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