young
Having lived for only a short time; not old.
Etymology
From Old English geong, from Proto-Germanic *jungaz, from PIE *h₂yew- "vital force, youthful vigour." The PIE root conveyed life energy and vitality. Latin iuvenis "young man" gives English "juvenile" and "junior." The idea behind the word is not just age but vital energy.
The Journey: *h₂yew- → young
*h₂yew-n-ḱo-
*jungaz
geong
young
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root *h₂yew-. They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Latin | iuvenis |
| Welsh | ieuanc |
| Russian | junyj |
| Sanskrit | yúvan |
| Old Irish | óac |
| Lithuanian | jáunas |
Did You Know?
English "young," "youth," "junior," and "juvenile" all descend from PIE *h₂yew- "vital force." The month of June may be named after the Roman goddess Juno, who has been tentatively connected to this root — though her name's etymology is disputed.
This word descends from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂yew-. See the full root page for descendant trees, sound law references, and scholarly discussion.