Of a person: (a) at an immature stage of development; in the period of childhood, youth, or adolescence; also, fig. innocent; also, in the early period of adulthood; ~ man, q.v.; ~ of (in) age; ~ of yeres; ~ waxen (waxinge), youthful; (b) used pleonastically: ~ child (barn, faunt, etc.), barn (child, etc.) ~; (c) bothe) ~ and olde, bothe) olde and ~, etc., of all ages; of any age; ~ or olde, olde or ~, of any age; olde ne ~, neither old nor young, of any age; (d) in proverbs and prov. expressions.

(a) Of an animal, a bird, etc.: in the early stage of life or growth; also, of an animal’s flesh: succulent, tender; ~ frie; bicomen (worthen) ~, to be rejuvenated; (b) of a plant or its parts: vernal, fresh; also, new.

Comp. Having lived a shorter period of time, younger.

(a) In positive degree: relatively young; also as epithet; also, youngest of a group of three or more; of a son with the same name as the father: younger, junior; also used to distinguish two unrelated persons of the same name; the ~; (b) Comp. designating the younger of two persons within a family, junior; also in fig. context [quot. c1400]; also used of a male having the same name as his father, grandfather, etc.; the yonger; (c) sup. of a person within a group of three or more: of least age, youngest; yongest of age; yongest boren, last born, youngest; alder yongest, youngest of all.

(a) Belonging to, characteristic of, or appropriate to a young person: youthful; immature; rash, impulsive; also as epithet in personification [quot. a1450 Castle Persev.]; also, unaffected by the passage of time; also, in metonymy, of the blood: possessing the rashness or impetuosity of youth; haven yeres ~, to be young; (b) in misc. collocations and phrases: ~ age, the time when one is young; youth; also, youthfulness; ~ lif (daies), ~ waxen (waxinge) age, the early part of one’s life, youth; ~ manhede, youthful valor; bothe ~ and olde, of one’s life: entire, whole; the ~ age that is tocominge, the future generations.

(a) New to a certain station or occupation, recently initiated, new; having little experience or practice, inexperienced; yonger men, vassals of junior rank; (b) of a process or a thing subject to process: early in development, recently formed; of a sore: lately formed, fresh; of a beard: newly grown, sparse; of a spring: close to the source, newly sprung, small; of an emotion: newly felt; of an illogical notion: reckless, ill-advised, newfangled; of a time: early; in ~ yer, early in the year, in the new year; (c) of the moon: in the early part of the lunar cycle, crescent; of the sun: in the early part of the solar year, just after the vernal equinox.

As quasi-adv.: at a young age; the yonger, the earlier in life.

In surnames.