Young people, especially children or teenagers; youth considered as a group.
From 'young' plus the suffix '-ster' indicating a person associated with a quality. The suffix comes from Old English '-estre', originally feminine but became gender-neutral, as seen in words like 'teamster' and 'trickster'.
The '-ster' suffix originally created job titles and was often feminine (like 'spinster' for a woman who spins), but over time it became a general way to create informal names for people. 'Youngster' is unusual because it's one of the few '-ster' words that's purely affectionate rather than occupational.
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