What are the origins/roots of the word TEENAGER?

Question

does anyone know? -ager, i guess, means "aging"... but what about teen? are the roots latin? so many questions...

Answer 1

Actually "TEEN" is from "TEN", as in thirteen, fourteen, fifteen....by adding ten onto the first number....you have a 'teen' number, which is 10 more than the original number.  And this also reflects the time period of your teenage years.

Answer 2

From what I remember "teen" is pretty much short for 'between". The age between childhood and adulthood.

It's pretty much a compound word.

Answer 3

Teenage" -- the adjective -- appeared in WRITTEN English in a Canadian publication in 1921.  Note that the phrase is enclosed in quotation marks, indicating the "coining" of the term.  Most words are used ORALLY before they are written down.

It was not until two decades later that the noun "teen-ager" appeared.  At first, it was hyphenated, and then, as its usage was accepted, the hyphen was dropped, which is a very traditional way to deal with new words.  [Example:  At first, the county seat of government was called a "court house."  Then it became "court-house," and finally, it became "courthouse."