giovane

Giovane is an Italian term that operates as both an adjective and a noun. As an adjective, it describes someone or something that is not old, and it applies to all genders with a single form in the singular: giovane. The plural form is giovani, used for both masculine and feminine references, as in due giovani or i giovani italiani. As a noun, giovane can refer to a young person, with the masculine form il giovane and the feminine la giovane; the plurals are i giovani and le giovani, respectively, depending on the gender of the people referred to.

Etymology and related forms: the word derives from Latin iuvenis, meaning young. In Italian, related terms include giovanile, meaning youthful or related to youth, and giovane era or giovanissima in phrases describing someone very young. The term also appears in common collocations such as giovane talento (young talent), giovane coppia (young couple), and giovani professionisti (young professionals).

Usage and demographics: giovane is widely used in everyday language, literature, media, and sociological contexts. When used as a noun, it often denotes a member of the younger generation or a demographic group. In statistical or policy contexts, the term giovane or fasce giovanili is used to discuss age groups, with definitions of “youth” varying by country and organization; common conventions place youth roughly in the teenage years through early adulthood.

See also: gioventù, giovanile, età giovanile. The word’s cognates appear in other Romance languages, such as joven (Spanish), jeune (French), and jovem (Portuguese), all sharing the core meaning of “young.”