adultus

Adultus is a Latin adjective and participle meaning grown, mature, or fully developed. It exists in masculine nominative singular as adultus, with feminine form adulta and neuter form adultum. In classical Latin, adultus can function both as a perfect passive participle of the verb adolescere (having grown up) and as a descriptive adjective for a person, animal, or thing that has reached full development.

Etymology and transmission into English: the adjective derives from classical Latin usage related to growing up. The English word adult derives from Old French adulte, itself ultimately tracing to Latin adultus; the transition into English occurred through medieval contact with Romance languages.

Usage in Latin literature: adultus occurs in varied contexts to denote maturity or completeness, applied to people, animals, or objects described as fully developed or of mature age. As a participle, it conveys a completed state resulting from growth or development and can function predicatively or attributively.

Contemporary and scientific usage: in scientific Latin, adultus is still used as a descriptive term to indicate the mature or sexually developed stage of an organism, often in contrast to larval or juvenile forms. The gendered forms—adultus (masculine), adulta (feminine), adultum (neuter)—agree with the noun they modify, following standard Latin adjective concord.

Summary: adultus is a compact Latin term for maturity and development, functioning as both a participle and an adjective. Its primary English descendants lie in the word “adult,” reflecting a shared lineage from Latin through Romance languages, while its Latin usage remains common in classical texts and scientific descriptions to denote full development.