baby
Meanings
noun
- A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
- A very young human, even if not yet born.
- Any very young animal, especially a vertebrate; many species have specific names for their babies, such as kittens for the babies of cats, puppies for the babies of dogs, and chicks for the babies of birds. See :Category:Baby animals for more.
- A person who is immature, infantile, or feeble.
- A person who is new to or inexperienced in something.
- The lastborn of a family; the youngest sibling, irrespective of age.
- A person's romantic partner; a term of endearment used to refer to or address e.g. one's girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse.
- A form of address to a person considered to be attractive.
- A thing that is comparatively small of its kind.
- A concept or creation endeared by its creator.
- A pet project or responsibility.
- An affectionate term for anything.
adj
- Picked when small and immature (as in baby corn, baby potatoes).
- Newest (overall, or in some group or state); most inexperienced.
- Like or pertaining to a baby, in size or youth; small, young.
verb
- To coddle; to pamper somebody like an infant.
- To tend (something) with care; to be overly attentive to (something), fuss over.
name
- A surname.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-redup. Proto-Germanic *babô Proto-West Germanic *babō Old English *baba Middle English babe Old English -iġ Middle English -y Middle English baby English baby From Middle English baby, babie (“baby”), a diminutive form of babe (“babe, baby”), equivalent to babe + -y/-ie (“endearing and diminutive suffix”). Perhaps ultimately imitative of baby talk (compare babble).
Synonyms
Related words
Derived words
Translations
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This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.