Iuvenes

Iuvenes is the Latin noun meaning youths or young men. It is the masculine plural form of iuvenis and is used in classical Latin to designate males in the early years of adulthood, often in contexts related to age, education, and public or military life. As a plural, iuvenes refers to young men collectively; the singular iuvenis denotes a single young man.

In Roman texts, iuvenes commonly appears when describing groups of young men entering or being part of military service, civic duties, or social life. The term is frequently contrasted with senex, the old man, to mark age-based stages of life and the associated roles, responsibilities, and expectations within Roman society. Beyond overt descriptions of age, iuvenes can carry connotations of vigor, potential, or youthful impatience as they navigate transitions from youth to adulthood.

Grammatical notes: iuvenes is a masculine plural noun; its related singular form is iuvenis. In Latin texts it follows standard patterns for masculine nouns of its stem, with declines that align with typical third-declension or related paradigms used for iuvenis. The word also appears in inscriptions and literary passages to name groups of young men across various social classes and contexts.

Modern usage: In scholarly works on antiquity, iuvenes remains a common term for discussing youth in ancient Rome, education, military organization, and social structure. The word may also appear in ecclesiastical or pedagogical Latin to refer to young men within a community, church, or institution. As a historical term, it provides a lexical anchor for discussions of youth, age, and transitions in Roman culture.

See also: iuvenis, Roman youth, youth in Latin literature.