Saturday, February 04, 2012

 

Etymology and Definition of Teenager

Inspired by Arthur Golding's translation of a passage from Ovid, Eric Thomson proposes the following etymology and definition of teenager:
teenager, n. Pronunciation: /ˈtiːneɪdʒə(r)/ Forms: Also teen-ager.

Etymology: < † TEEN, v.1 + AGE n. + -ER suffix.

One who teens his or her parents, loosely, an adolescent.

† teen, v.1: To vex, irritate, annoy, anger, enrage, inflict suffering upon, afflict, harass, injure, harm.



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