adult

[uh-duhlt, ad-uhlt] /əˈdʌlt, ˈæd ʌlt/
adjective
1.
having attained full size and strength; grown up; mature:
an adult person, animal, or plant.
2.
of, pertaining to, or befitting adults.
3.
intended for adults; not suitable for children:
adult entertainment.
noun
4.
a person who is fully grown or developed or of age.
5.
a full-grown animal or plant.
6.
a person who has attained the age of maturity as specified by law.
Origin
1525-35; 1925-30 for def 3; < Latin adultus grown (past participle of adolēre to make grow), equivalent to ad- ad- + ul- (identical with base al- in aliment, ol- in prolific) + -tus past participle suffix
Related forms
adulthood, noun
adultlike, adjective
adultly, adverb
adultness, noun
nonadult, adjective, noun
quasi-adult, adjective
subadult, adjective, noun
subadultness, noun
unadult, adjective
Examples from the web for adult
  • One possible interpretation: people whose brains mature early might be more prone to engage in adult activities.
  • Less than two hours of training over a few days produced noticeable brain changes in adult learners.
  • Now, chances are the dinosaur in your head is an adult animal.
  • Handpicking is an effective way to reduce adult populations.
  • Every society, of course, has the right to protect children from adult material.
  • The two eaten gorillas were adult males known as silverbacks.
  • adult life is relatively brief, typically a matter of weeks, though some species can live for as long as a year.
  • New research may help adult learners master foreign tongues.
  • List system of proportional representation based on universal adult suffrage.
  • Eighty-six adult pandas have also been confirmed safe.
British Dictionary definitions for adult

adult

/ˈædʌlt; əˈdʌlt/
adjective
1.
having reached maturity; fully developed
2.
of or intended for mature people: adult education
3.
regarded as suitable only for adults, because of being pornographic: adult films and magazines
noun
4.
a person who has attained maturity; a grownup
5.
a mature fully grown animal or plant
6.
(law) a person who has attained the age of legal majority (18 years for most purposes) Compare infant
Derived Forms
adulthood, noun
Word Origin
C16: from Latin adultus, from adolēscere to grow up, from alēscere to grow, from alēre to feed, nourish
Word Origin and History for adult
adj.

1530s (but not common until mid-17c.), from Latin adultus "grown up, mature, adult, ripe," past participle of adolescere "grow up, mature" (see adolescent). As a euphemism for "pornographic," it dates to 1958 and does no honor to the word.

n.

"adult person," 1650s, from adult (adj.).

adult in Medicine

adult a·dult (ə-dŭlt', ād'ŭlt)
n.

  1. One who has attained maturity or legal age.

  2. A fully grown, mature organism.

adj.
Fully developed and mature.
Slang definitions & phrases for adult

adult

adjective

Euphemistically meaning unsuitable for children: adult entertainment (1950s+)