Futuwwah linguistically derives from fa-ti-ya, meaning to be youthful. It is related to the word fatā meaning a young male, and Fityan being a gathering or group of youth. Fata is understood from the aspect of age to be one in between the period of early teens and manhood. It connotes the meaning of a youth moving from one stage of life to another, or transitioning from adolescence into an age of a youth having greater maturity.
This transitioning into a stage of greater maturity, of course, does not equal entering into the stage of wisdom displayed by elders, just as Yazid al-Raqashi stated that youthfulness displayed by elders is a despicable trait. Fata can also carry the meaning of a slave, or one who serves another who is superior in social rank.