Origin and history of aid

Middle English yong, from Old English geong "being in the early stage of life, not old; youthful, being in the early stages of adulthood; recent, new, fresh, vernal;" from Proto-Germanic *junga-, reconstructed to be from a suffixed form of PIE root *yeu- "vital force, youthful vigor."

Cognates include Sanskrit yuvan- "young; young man;" Avestan yuuanem, yunam "youth," yoista- "youngest;" Latin juvenis "young," iunior "younger, more young;" Lithuanian jaunas, Old Church Slavonic junu, Russian junyj "young," Old Irish oac, Welsh ieuanc "young." Germanic cognates include Old Saxon and Old Frisian jung, Old Norse ungr, Middle Dutch jonc, Dutch jong, Old High German and German jung, Gothic juggs.

As "characteristic of or appropriate to the young," late 12c. Generally, of things, concrete or abstract, "being in the first or early stage of existence," c. 1400. Related: Younger; youngest.

Young France, Young Italy, Poland, Ireland, etc., were loosely applied c. 1830-1850 to "republican agitators" in various monarchies. Young England was the name of a mid-19c. political faction led by young Tory aristocrats; Young America were used generally for "typical young person of the nation." For Young Turk, see Turk.

"officer whose duty is to receive and communicate the orders of a general officer," 1777, short for aide-de-camp (1660s), a French term in English, literally "camp assistant" (see aid (n.)). Plural of the full term is aides-de-camp.