Latina Vulgata: Latin Words no. 6

Adulescens/adulescentis (m) - young man.

Adolescens is a variant spelling.

A noun of the third declension, masculine, meaning young man. It is, in fact, the present participle of the verb adulesco - to grow, grow up.

Clear connection with the English word 'adolescent'.

Dicit illi adulescens: omnia haec custodivi quid adhuc mihi deest.
The young man saith to him: All these have I kept from my youth, what is yet wanting to me?
Matthew 19:20. Nominative case.


Et accessit et tetigit loculum. Hi autem qui portabant steterunt. Et ait: adulescens tibi dico surge.
And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise.
Luke 7:14. Vocative case.


Adulescens autem quidam sequebatur illum, amictus sindone super nudo. Et tenuerunt eum.
And a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body. And they laid hold on him.
Mark 14:51. Nominative case.


The comparative form adulescentior, meaning the younger, appears a couple of times in the Vulgate, either as a noun or as an adjective.

Et dixit adulescentior ex illis patri pater da mihi portionem substantiae quae me contingit et divisit illis substantiam.

And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance.

Luke 15:12. Used as a noun in the nominative case.

Adulescentiores autem viduas devita. Cum enim luxuriatae fuerint in Christo, nubere volunt.

But the younger widows avoid. For when they have grown wanton in Christ, they will marry:

1 Timothy 5:11. Used as an adjective to qualify viduas.

Related form - adulescentia/ae (f), which means youth - not an individual youth, but youth in the abstract.

Nemo adulescentiam tuam contemnat sed exemplum esto fidelium in verbo in conversatione in caritate in fide in castitate.

Let no man despise thy youth: but be thou an example of the faithful, in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity.

1 Timothy 4:12. Accusative case.

Related form - adulescentula/ae (f) - young woman.

Ut prudentiam doceant adulescentulas, ut viros suos ament filios diligant.
That they may teach the young women to be wise, to love their husbands, to love their children.
Titus 2:4. Accusative plural.