how to say “adolescence” in Hebrew… (addendum)
In yesterday’s dose of Ktzat Ivrit, I introduced נַעֲרוּת (nah-ah-ROOT) as adolescence and נַעַר and נַעֲרָה (NAH-ahr, nah-ah-RAH) as adolescents. Thinking it over (especially after Adam pointed it out to me this morning on the radio), I’m realizing that a better translation to English of those terms is youth, referring to both the stage in life as well as the people themselves – youths.
A more professional, technical term referring to this wonderful (and troublesome) time of life, however, is גִּיל הַהִתְבַּגְּרוּת – literally, the age of becoming mature (gheel hah-heet-bahg-ROOT).
Likewise, an adolescent would be called a מִתְבַּגֵּר (meet-bah-GHEHR – male) or מִתְבַּגֶּרֶת (meet-bah-GHEH-ret – female).
The root of these words is ב.ג.ר (b.g.r), meaning maturity. The intensive-reflexive התפעל (heet-pah-EL) form uses the root to produce a group of words that mean on the path to becoming mature.
