stripling
You can use the old-fashioned noun stripling to talk about a teenager, though few people these days will know what you’re talking about.
Like many old words in English, the -ling in this one clues you up that it’s a smaller version of the real thing. Exactly how the strip part applies is lost in the mists of time, but it may have to do with being thin as a strip from lacking the muscular development of full manhood: the word stripling is a somewhat poetic epithet for a youth.
Definitions of stripling
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a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity
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synonyms:
adolescent, teen, teenager-
types:
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chebab
a Palestinian juvenile 10-15 years old who fights against the Israelis
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mod
a British teenager or young adult in the 1960s; noted for their clothes consciousness and opposition to the rockers
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pachuco
a Mexican-American teenager who belongs to a neighborhood gang and who dresses in showy clothes
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punk, punk rocker
a teenager or young adult who is a performer (or enthusiast) of punk rock and a member of the punk youth subculture
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rocker
a teenager or young adult in the 1960s who wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles
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young buck, young man
a teenager or a young adult male
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type of:
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juvenile, juvenile person
a young person, not fully developed
Word Family