Adult Is the Past Participle of Grow Up
An adult is a fully grown person. The Latin word is a past participle meaning having grown, and adolescent is its present tense.
An adult is a fully grown person. Latin makes the relationship explicit: *adolescere* meant to grow up, its present participle *adolescens* gave *adolescent* — one who is growing — and its past participle *adultus* gave *adult*, one who has finished growing. The two words are the same verb at different stages.
- A fully grown person. *Adults only.*
- Mature. *An adult attitude.*
- Explicit (euphemism). *Adult content.*
- Adulthood — the state. *Early adulthood.*
- Adolescent — one still growing. *An adolescent phase.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | adult | Two adults. |
| Adjective | adult | Adult education. |
| Abstract | adulthood | Reaching adulthood. |
| Related | adolescent | An adolescent. |
| Latin | adultus | Grown up. |
- The course is for adults returning to study.Neutral.
- He handled it in an adult way.Maturity.
- Adolescent and adult come from the same verb.Etymology.
Present and past participles as English words
- Adolescent and adult — growing and grown
- Student — from *studere*, one who is studying
- Agent — from *agere*, one who is doing
- Patient — from *pati*, one who is suffering
- Latin participles supplied English with a great many nouns
Latin *adultus*, grown up, the past participle of *adolescere*, to grow. English took it in the 1500s.
Is the stress on the first or second syllable?
Both are used. British English usually stresses the second, American English the first.
Are adult and adolescent related?
Yes. They are the past and present participles of the same Latin verb meaning to grow up.