child

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A young human being who is not yet an adult.

   The author writes books for children.

2. 2
   noun

   A person's son or daughter, at any age.

   My youngest child turns forty-three this year.

3. 3
   noun

   An adult who behaves in an immature, childish way.

   My husband is such a child whenever it snows.

Common collocations

• young child Adjective + noun
• only child Adjective + noun
• have a child Verb + noun
• adopt a child Verb + noun
• expect a child Verb + noun
• raise a child Verb + noun
• gifted child Adjective + noun
• unborn child Adjective + noun

From Middle English child, from Old English ċild, from Proto-West Germanic *kilþ, *kelþ, from Proto-Germanic *kelþaz (“womb; fetus”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵelt- (“womb”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”). Cognate with Danish kuld (“brood, litter”), Swedish kull (“brood, litter”), Icelandic kelta, kjalta (“lap”), Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹 (kilþei, “womb”), Sanskrit जर्त (jarta), जर्तु (jártu, “vulva”).

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