rhizoverbBeta
DictionaryRoot: ad-
Latin

ad-

to, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis

Forms

  • ad-
  • ac- — Used before c in Latin.
  • af- — Used before f in Latin.
  • ag- — Used before g in Latin.
  • al- — Used before l in Latin.
  • ap- — Used before p in Latin.
  • ar- — Used before r in Latin.
  • as- — Used before s in Latin.
  • at- — Used before t in Latin.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *ad, ‘to; near.’

Note

Later Latin-based spellings sometimes restored consonants that had disappeared in French.

108 / 297
A single middle-aged man standing comfortably in everyday modern clothing, shown full-length with clearly mature proportions: a straightforward portrait of a fully grown person.
noun / adjective

adult

uh-DULT/əˈdʌlt/

Fully grown or intended for fully grown people.

Etymology
adLatinto, toward; addition; sometimes emphasis
+ultLatinbe nourished; grow

The growth element links being nourished with reaching maturity. Its completed, “grown-up” sense first described someone mature, then became a noun for a fully grown person.

Full entry

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