youth means the quality or state of being young. It carries an Arena rating of 1327, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, youth ranks #1,386 of 25,264 for Qualifying, #2,737 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #5,509 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words, #7,084 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words.
youth is pronounced /juːθ/.
Why “youth” is a great word
The state or condition of being young, the early part of life following childhood. Its lineage is straightforward: from Middle English youthe, from Old English ġeoguþ ("the state of being young; youth"), from Proto-West Germanic *juwunþa, from Proto-Germanic *jugunþō, *jugunþiz ("youth"), corresponding to 'young' + the abstract nominal suffix '-th.' Unlike "adolescent" (a clinical term for a person in the throes of developmental transition) or "childhood" (a bounded realm ending at puberty), youth is the wider country they inhabit—both the fleeting season and its defining condition. It is the scent of cut grass on a limitless afternoon, the fierce, unexamined loyalty between friends, and the profound conviction that one’s own heartbreak is an unprecedented event in human history—a brief, bright delirium before the gravity of the world sets in.
Etymology
From Middle English youthe, youghte, ȝouþe, from Old English ġeoguþ (“the state of being young; youth”), from Proto-West Germanic *juwunþa, from Proto-Germanic *jugunþō, *jugunþiz (“youth”), corresponding to young + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Juugd, West Frisian jeugd, Dutch jeugd, German Low German Jöögd, German Jugend.
noun
- The quality or state of being young.“Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers.”
- The part of life following childhood; the period of existence preceding maturity or age; the whole early part of life, from childhood, or, sometimes, from infancy, to adulthood.“Make the most of your youth, it will not last forever.”
- A young person.“There was a group of youths hanging around the parking lot, reading fashion magazines and listening to music.”
- A young man; a male adolescent or young adult.“[…]and then a youth appeared—no one quite knew where from or to whom he belonged—but he settled down with them in a happy-go-lucky way, and they all lived together.”
- Young persons, collectively.“The actual brides- and grooms-to-be are not in attendance—many youth would be embarrassed by their parents’ matchmaking efforts, and often do not live in the same city anyway.”
Words closest in meaning
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