a progressive, revolutionary, or rebellious member of an organization, political party, etc, esp one agitating for radical reform
2.
a member of an abortive reform movement in the Ottoman Empire, originally made up of exiles in W Europe who advocated liberal reforms. The movement fell under the domination of young Turkish army officers of a nationalist bent, who wielded great influence in the government between 1908 and 1918
Young Turk in American English
[alsoy- T-]
any of a group of younger people seeking to take control of an organization, party, country, etc. from an entrenched, usually conservative, group of older people
Word origin
orig., member of early 20th-c. revolutionary group in Turkey