adult
English
Etymology
From French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”), perfect passive participle of adolescō (“I grow up”). Compare adolescent.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General Australian, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈæd.ʌlt/, /ˈæd.əlt/
Audio (UK) (file)
- (US, Canada) IPA(key): /əˈdʌlt/, /ˈæd.əlt/
Audio (US) (file) Audio (CA) (file) Audio (CA - Variant) (file)
- Rhymes: -ʌlt
Noun
adult (plural adults)
- A fully grown human or animal.
- 1840, Georges Cuvier, Edward Blyth, Robert Mudie, George Johnston, and J.O. Westwood, “The fourth order of reptiles—The batrachians”, in Cuvier's Animal Kingdom, page 286:
- The young not only differs from the adult by the presence of its gills, but its feet are only developed by degrees, and in several genera there are also a deciduous beak and tail, and intestines of a different form
-
- A person who has reached the legal age of majority.
Synonyms
- (fully grown human or animal): grown up; see also Thesaurus:adult
Translations
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Adjective
adult (comparative more adult, superlative most adult)
- Fully grown.
- an adult human, animal, or plant
- 1837, Michael Donovan, Domestic Economy: Human Food, Animal and Vegetable, page 86:
- The paws of the adult brown bear, and also their hams, especially when smoked, are considered a great delicacy.
- Intended for or restricted to adults rather than children due to size, maturity, knowledge level, judgement, etc.
- adult clothes; adult cereal; an adult documentary
- 1973, Marshall Kaplan, Gans, and Kahn, Children and the urban environment (page 21)
- In May 1967 the WGBH Education Division submitted an initial proposal to HUD for a series of four adult television documentaries on conservation in an urban environment.
- Containing situations or discussions intended primarily for adults, such as serious crime, illicit drug use, extramarital affairs, etc.
- adult situations; adult discussions
- (of a beverage) Containing alcohol, intended for consumption only by adults.
- an adult drink; an adult root beer float
- (of a cookie, gummy, etc.) Containing marijuana, intended for consumption only by adults.
- an adult cookie; adult gummy worms
- Containing material of an explicit sexual nature; of, or pertaining to, pornography.
- an adult movie
- This program contains adult content. Parental discretion is advised.
- Containing excessive vulgar or profane speech, text or images, intended only for adults.
- adult language; an adult cartoon
Synonyms
- (fully grown): big, fully grown, grown up; see also Thesaurus:full-grown
- (intended for adults): grown up; see also Thesaurus:adultlike or Thesaurus:for adults
- (containing explicit sexual material): pornographic, X-rated, XXX, XXXX; see also Thesaurus:pornographic
- (vulgar): blue, indecent, obscene, salacious; see also Thesaurus:obscene
Derived terms
- adult actress
- adult baby
- adult beverage
- adult bookstore
- adult contemporary
- adult content
- adult film
- adult learner
- adultly
- adult material
- adult movie
- adultness
- adult shop
- adult star
- adult survivor
- adult third culture kid
- appropriate adult
- consenting adult
- new adult
- older adult
- young adult
Related terms
- adolescent
- adulthood
Translations
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Verb
adult (third-person singular simple present adults, present participle adulting, simple past and past participle adulted)
- (intransitive, informal) To behave like an adult.
- (nonstandard, rare) To (cause to) be or become an adult.
- 1974, Occasional Papers (Syracuse University), issues 42-46, page 5:
- Womanhood was achieved at twenty-one, when the female was "adulted"; manhood was fully achieved at twenty-five, […]
- 2013, Ewa Rewers, The Contradictions of Urban Art, →ISBN, page 84:
- The process of adulting children […] overlaps with the process of the uncontrolled infiltration of the media […] into children’s imagination.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:adult.
- 1974, Occasional Papers (Syracuse University), issues 42-46, page 5:
Further reading
- adult in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- adult in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
Anagrams
- talud
Catalan
Etymology
From Latin adultus.
Pronunciation
- (Balearic) IPA(key): /əˈdult/
- (Central) IPA(key): /əˈdul/
- (Valencian) IPA(key): /aˈdult/
Adjective
adult (feminine adulta, masculine plural adults, feminine plural adultes)
- adult (fully grown)
Derived terms
- adultesa
Noun
adult m (plural adults, feminine adulta)
- adult (fully grown person)
Further reading
- “adult” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
German
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Adjective
adult (strong nominative masculine singular adulter, not comparable)
- (medicine) adult
Declension
number & gender | singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | feminine | neuter | all genders | ||
predicative | er ist adult | sie ist adult | es ist adult | sie sind adult | |
strong declension (without article) | nominative | adulter | adulte | adultes | adulte |
genitive | adulten | adulter | adulten | adulter | |
dative | adultem | adulter | adultem | adulten | |
accusative | adulten | adulte | adultes | adulte | |
weak declension (with definite article) | nominative | der adulte | die adulte | das adulte | die adulten |
genitive | des adulten | der adulten | des adulten | der adulten | |
dative | dem adulten | der adulten | dem adulten | den adulten | |
accusative | den adulten | die adulte | das adulte | die adulten | |
mixed declension (with indefinite article) | nominative | ein adulter | eine adulte | ein adultes | (keine) adulten |
genitive | eines adulten | einer adulten | eines adulten | (keiner) adulten | |
dative | einem adulten | einer adulten | einem adulten | (keinen) adulten | |
accusative | einen adulten | eine adulte | ein adultes | (keine) adulten |
See also
- erwachsen
- Erwachsener, Erwachsene
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French adulte, from Latin adultus (“grown up”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aˈdult/
Adjective
adult m or n (feminine singular adultă, masculine plural adulți, feminine and neuter plural adulte)
- adult
Declension
singular | plural | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
nominative/ accusative | indefinite | adult | adultă | adulți | adulte | ||
definite | adultul | adulta | adulții | adultele | |||
genitive/ dative | indefinite | adult | adulte | adulți | adulte | ||
definite | adultului | adultei | adulților | adultelor |
Noun
adult m (plural adulți, feminine equivalent adultă)
- adult
Declension
singular | plural | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
nominative/accusative | (un) adult | adultul | (niște) adulți | adulții |
genitive/dative | (unui) adult | adultului | (unor) adulți | adulților |
vocative | adultule | adulților |