STRIPLING, noun [from strip, stripe; primarily a tall slender youth, one that shoots up suddenly.] A youth in the state of adolescence, or just passing from boyhood to manhood; a lad. And the king said, inquire thou whose son the stripling is. 1 Samuel 17:56.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI