age-adjusted
UK[ˌeɪdʒ əˈdʒʌstɪd]US[ˌeɪdʒ əˈdʒʌstɪd]
adj
(of a rate, statistic, or comparison) calculated or modified to account for the effects of age, allowing for fairer comparisons between groups with different age distributions.
Morpheme Breakdown
age
adjust
ed
age
state of being
adjust
alter
ed
adjective suffix
Etymology
The term is a modern compound adjective from the field of statistics and demography. Its first element, "age," traces back to the Latin aetas, which broadly signified a lifetime or generation. The second element, "adjust," originates from the Latin phrase ad iuxta, meaning "to bring near" or "to fit," evolving through French to mean to modify for accuracy. The suffix "-ed" transforms the verbal action into a descriptive state. Thus, the literal construction "age-having-been-modified" logically yields the specialized meaning of a statistical measure that has been altered to account for the influence of age, enabling more equitable comparisons across populations.
Analysis
Structure: age (state of being) + adjust (alter) + ed (adjective suffix)
- age: From Old French aage, eage, ultimately from Latin aetas (period of life, age). Functions as a noun root denoting a period or stage of life.
- adjust: From Old French ajoster (to join), from Vulgar Latin adiuxtāre (to bring near), from Latin ad- (to) + iuxtā (near). Functions as a verb root meaning to alter or modify for a purpose.
- ed: A common English suffix forming past participles and participial adjectives, from Old English -ed, -od, -ad. Functions as an adjective-forming suffix indicating a state resulting from an action.
Examples
The study reported an age-adjusted mortality rate to compare health outcomes between the two countries.
Age-adjusted data is crucial for analyzing disease prevalence in communities with different demographic profiles.
The researchers used age-adjusted figures to ensure the disparity was not simply due to an older population.