Youth

Youth

Youth is the period from infancy or childhood to maturity.

Usage

Around the world the terms "youth", "adolescent", "teenager", and "young person" are interchanged, often meaning the same thing, occasionally differentiated. Youth generally refers to a time of life that is neither childhood nor adulthood, but rather, somewhere in-between. [(2004) "Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition."] Youth also identifies a particular mindset of attitude, as in "He is very "youth"ful". The term youth is also related to being young. [Konopka, G. (1973) "Requirements for Healthy Development of Adolescent Youth", "Adolescence. VIII"(31), p. 2.]

::"This world demands the qualities of youth: not a time of life but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the life of ease." - Robert Kennedy [ [http://www.rfkmemorial.org/lifevision/dayofaffirmation/ "Day of Affirmation, University of Cape Town, South Africa. June 6, 1966"] , Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. Retrieved 11/9/07.]

Youth is an alternative word to the scientifically-oriented adolescent and the common terms of teen and teenager. Another common title for youth is young person or young people. [Konopka, G. (1973) "Requirements for Healthy Development of Adolescent Youth", "Adolescence. VIII"(31), p. 24.]

Age limits

The age in which a person is considered a "youth," and thus eligible for special treatment under the law and throughout society varies around the world.
*"Youth... those persons falling between the ages of 18 and 24 years inclusive." - United Nations General Assembly [(n.d.) [http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/qanda.htm Frequently Asked Questions] Youth at the UN website.]
*"Time in a person's life between childhood and adulthood. The term "youth" in general refers to those who are between the ages of 18 to 24." - World Bank. [(n.d.) [http://youthink.worldbank.org/glossary.php Glossary] WorldBank website.]
*The Commonwealth Youth Programme works with "young people (aged 15-29)." [ [http://www.thecommonwealth.org The Commonwealth] ]
*"A person... under 21 years of age." - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [(n.d.) [http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/research/FewerYoungDrivers/ii__data.htm Research on Age of Drivers] National Highway Transportation and Safety Board website]
*"People between the ages of 20 and 25." - Government of Tasmania [(n.d.) [http://www.tasmaniatogether.tas.gov.au/tastog_original/tt_glossary.html Tasmania Together Glossary] Australian Government website.]
*"People between the ages of 14 and 21." - Wilson School District [ [http://www.wilson.k12.pa.us] Wilson website.]

ee also

*List of youth topics

References


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  • youth — W2S2 [ju:θ] n plural youths [ju:ðz US ju:ðz, ju:θs] [: Old English; Origin: geoguth] 1.) [U] the period of time when someone is young, especially the period when someone is a teenager →↑old age sth of sb s youth ▪ the dreams of his youth in sb s… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • youth — [ juθ ] noun *** 1. ) uncount the time in someone s life when they are young: In his youth, he had traveled and seen much of the world. the energy/enthusiasm/innocence of youth relive/recapture your youth: The visit was more than just a chance to …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • Youth — ([=u]th), n.; pl. {Youths} ([=u]ths; 264) or collectively {Youth}. [OE. youthe, youh[thorn]e, [yogh]uhe[eth]e, [yogh]uwe[eth]e, [yogh]eo[yogh]e[eth]e, AS. geogu[eth], geogo[eth]; akin to OS. jugu[eth], D. jeugd, OHG. jugund, G. jugend, Goth.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Youth — ([=u]th), n.; pl. {Youths} ([=u]ths; 264) or collectively {Youth}. [OE. youthe, youh[thorn]e, [yogh]uhe[eth]e, [yogh]uwe[eth]e, [yogh]eo[yogh]e[eth]e, AS. geogu[eth], geogo[eth]; akin to OS. jugu[eth], D. jeugd, OHG. jugund, G. jugend, Goth.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • youth — has the plural form youths, pronounced yoodhz. As well as meaning ‘a young person’ (in BrE usually a boy but in other varieties a boy or girl) and ‘a young time of life’ (in their youth), it has a collective sense ‘young people’, normally… …   Modern English usage

  • youth — youth, adolescence, puberty, pubescence are sometimes used interchangeably to denote the period in life when one passes from childhood to maturity. Youth is the most general of these terms, being applied sometimes to the whole early part of life… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • youth — O.E. geoguð youth, related to geong young, from W.Gmc. *jugunthiz, altered from P.Gmc. *juwunthiz (Cf. O.S. juguth, O.Fris. jogethe, M.Du. joghet, Du. jeugd, O.H.G. jugund, Ger. Jugend, Goth. junda youth; see …   Etymology dictionary

  • youth — index adolescence, adolescent, child, children, infant, juvenile, minor, minority (infancy) …   Law dictionary

  • youth — ► NOUN (pl. youths) 1) the period between childhood and adult age. 2) the qualities of vigour, freshness, immaturity, etc. associated with being young. 3) (treated as sing. or pl. ) young people. 4) a young man. ORIGIN Old English, related to… …   English terms dictionary

  • Youth — [yo͞oth] Isle of Cuban isle south of W Cuba: 849 sq mi (2,199 sq km) …   English World dictionary

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