alesc-, alit-, olesc-

The period of growth from childhood to adulthood: The time of adolescence is an important introduction to adulthood.

1. A person growing up from childhood to adulthood, especially one from about 12 to about 20 years of age; youth, teenager, teen, minor: Over 70 percent of today’s adolescents are expected to finish high school.
2. Teenager, juvenile: The presentations of many movies about life is primarily geared to adolescents.

The words adolescent and "adult" come from different forms of the Latin verb adolescere, "to grow up", and in Latin they mean “growing up” and “grown-up”, respectively.

1. Referring to the stage of development between childhood and maturity: Jim was in the adolescent phase of life of no longer being a child, but who had not yet reached adulthood.
2. Concerning the behavior of a young person: Jack seemed to be very adolescent and immature because he was so silly in one moment and then crying in the next..
3. Etymology: from Latin adolescent from adolescere, "to be nourished, to grow up". This is also the source of English adult from alere, "to nourish".

1. Someone who has attained maturity or legal age: Because Susan was an adult and 21 years old, she could vole in the elections in her country.
2. The state of development of having attained full size, strength, and maturity: Organisms that con be considered to be adults are fully grown, like people, animals, and plants.
3. Etymology: from Latin adultus, past participle of adolescere "to grow up, to mature".

1. Referring to an organism that is fully developed and mature: Sally's adult cat has a large litter of kittens!
2. Relating to, intended for, or befitting for grown-ups: Mrs. Timmns attended adult education classes.
3. Relating to situations primarily for grown-ups: All of the teachers at school went to an adult meeting concerning illegal drug use and some serious crimes that had taken place at their school.

A pesticide used to killing adult insects: Jill wanted to buy some adulticide that would annihilate some matured bugs in her garden, but not the the larvae.

Whom the gods love dies young.

It is also translated as, "Only the good die young." This statement is a translation into Latin made by Plautus in the Bacchides of a line by Menander, a fourth-century Greek dramatist.