Very young and so loveless still (5)
I believe the answer is:
seven
'very young' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives. Maybe they are linked in a way I don't understand?
'loveless still' is the wordplay.
'loveless' becomes 's' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'still' becomes 'even' (synonyms).
's'+'even'='SEVEN'
'and so' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for seven that I've seen before include "Figure of dwarfs?" , "See 1" , "Number of sins, seas or dwarves" , "VII" , "Number of seas sailed?" .)