Standard Lemma guide

preadolescence

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • CMU ARPABET: P R IY2 AE0 D AH0 L EH1 S IH0 S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The period between childhood and adolescence, between the ages of about nine and eleven for girls, and ten and twelve for boys.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh2- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh2i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae-lbor. Middle English pre- English pre- English adolescence English preadolescence From pre- + adolescence.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Esperanto: antaŭadoleskanteco — the period between childhood and adolescence
  • French: préadolescence — the period between childhood and adolescence
  • German: Präadoleszenz — the period between childhood and adolescence
  • Irish: réamhógántacht — the period between childhood and adolescence
  • Italian: preadolescenza — the period between childhood and adolescence
  • Portuguese: pré-adolescência — the period between childhood and adolescence