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:
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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.
