child
A person who has not yet reached adulthood, whether natural (puberty), cultural (initiation), or legal (majority).
Example
“Go easy on him: he is but a child.”
Other meanings
A youth aged 1 to 9 years, whereas neonates are aged 0 to 1 month, infants are aged 1 to 12 months, and adolescents are aged 10 to 20 years.
One's direct descendant by birth, regardless of age; one's offspring; a son or daughter.
“My youngest child is forty-three this year.”
Synonyms
- kid
- minor
- fry
Example sentences
Word history
From Old English "ċild".
Where this comes from
This definition is adapted from “child” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.