1. 1. The condition or quality of being young.
   2. An early period of development or existence: a nation in its youth.
2. The time of life between childhood and maturity.
3. 1. A young person, especially a young male in late adolescence.
   2. (used with a sing. or pl. verb) Young people considered as a group.
4. Geology. The first stage in the erosion cycle.

[Middle English youthe, from Old English geoguth.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.