Word Study
child
CIDE DICTIONARY
child, n. [AS. cild, pl. cildru; cf. Goth. kilþei womb, in-kilþō with child.].
- A son or a daughter; a male or female descendant, in the first degree; the immediate progeny of human parents; -- in law, legitimate offspring. Used also of animals and plants. [1913 Webster]
- A descendant, however remote; -- used esp. in the plural; as, the children of Israel; the children of Edom. [1913 Webster]
- One who, by character of practice, shows signs of relationship to, or of the influence of, another; one closely connected with a place, occupation, character, etc.; as, a child of God; a child of the devil; a child of disobedience; a child of toil; a child of the people. [1913 Webster]
- A noble youth. See Childe. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
- A young person of either sex. esp. one between infancy and youth; hence, one who exhibits the characteristics of a very young person, as innocence, obedience, trustfulness, limited understanding, etc. [1913 Webster]"When I was child. I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." [1913 Webster]
- A female infant. [1913 Webster]"A boy or a child, I wonder?" [1913 Webster]
child, v. i.
To give birth; to produce young. [1913 Webster]
"This queen Genissa childing died." [1913 Webster]
"It chanced within two days they childed both." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
child, n. (pl. children)
1 a a young human being below the age of puberty. b an unborn or newborn human being.
2 one's son or daughter (at any age).
3 (foll. by of) a descendant, follower, adherent, or product of (children of Israel; child of God; child of nature).
4 a childish person.
1 a a young human being below the age of puberty. b an unborn or newborn human being.
2 one's son or daughter (at any age).
3 (foll. by of) a descendant, follower, adherent, or product of (children of Israel; child of God; child of nature).
4 a childish person.
Idiom
child abuse maltreatment of a child, esp. by physical violence or sexual interference. child benefit (in the UK) regular payment by the State to the parents of a child up to a certain age. child care the care of children, esp. by a local authority. child-minder a person who looks after children for payment. child's play an easy task.
Derivative
childless adj. childlessness n.
Etymology
OE cild
THESAURUS
child
adolescent, angel, artifact, babe, baby, bairn, boy, brainchild, brat, brood, bud, cherub, chick, chickabiddy, child of nature, chit, coinage, composition, concoction, creation, creature, crowning achievement, darling, daughter, descendant, descendants, dickens, distillation, dove, dupe, effect, end product, essence, extract, foetus, foster child, fruit, girl, grandchild, granddaughter, grandson, handiwork, heiress, hick, infant, ingenue, innocent, invention, issue, juvenile, kid, kitten, lad, laddie, lamb, lambkin, lass, lassie, little bugger, little fellow, little guy, little innocent, little one, little tad, little tot, lout, manufacture, masterpiece, masterwork, mere child, minor, mintage, mite, moppet, neonate, new mintage, newborn, newborn babe, nipper, noble savage, oaf, offspring, opera, opus, opuscule, origination, outcome, outgrowth, peewee, posterity, product, production, progeniture, progeny, puss, result, rube, runabout, scion, seed, shaver, simple soul, small fry, son, son and heir, sonny, stepchild, stepdaughter, stepson, stripling, tad, teenager, teener, teenybopper, toddler, tot, unsophisticate, wee tot, work, yokel, young hopeful, young man, youngling, youngster, youthROGET THESAURUS
child
Infant
N infant, babe, baby, babe in arms, nurseling, suckling, yearling, weanling, papoose, bambino, kid, vagitus, child, bairn, little one, brat, chit, pickaninny, urchin, bantling, bratling, elf, youth, boy, lad, stripling, youngster, youngun, younker, callant, whipster, whippersnapper, whiffet, schoolboy, hobbledehoy, hopeful, cadet, minor, master, scion, sap, seedling, tendril, olive branch, nestling, chicken, larva, chrysalis, tadpole, whelp, cub, pullet, fry, callow, codlin, codling, foetus, calf, colt, pup, foal, kitten, lamb, lambkin, aurelia, caterpillar, cocoon, nymph, nympha, orphan, pupa, staddle, girl, lass, lassie, wench, miss, damsel, demoiselle, maid, maiden, virgin, hoyden, infantine, infantile, puerile, boyish, girlish, childish, babyish, kittenish, baby, newborn, unfledged, new-fledged, callow, in the cradle, in swaddling clothes, in long clothes, in arms, in leading strings, at the breast, in one's teens.Posterity
N posterity, progeny, breed, issue, offspring, brood, litter, seed, farrow, spawn, spat, family, grandchildren, heirs, great-grandchild, child, son, daughter, butcha, bantling, scion, acrospire, plumule, shoot, sprout, olive-branch, sprit, branch, off-shoot, off- set, ramification, descendant, heir, heiress, heir-apparent, heir- presumptive, chip off the old block, heredity, rising generation, straight descent, sonship, line, lineage, filiation, primogeniture, filial, diphyletic, the child is father of the man, the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree, like father, like son.Fool
N fool, idiot, tomfool, wiseacre, simpleton, witling, dizzard, donkey, ass, ninny, ninnyhammer, chowderhead, chucklehead, dolt, booby, Tom Noddy, looby, hoddy-doddy, noddy, nonny, noodle, nizy, owl, goose, goosecap, imbecile, gaby, radoteur, nincompoop, badaud, zany, trifler, babbler, pretty fellow, natural, niais, child, baby, infant, innocent, milksop, sop, oaf, lout, loon, lown, dullard, doodle, calf, colt, buzzard, block, put, stick, stock, numps, tony, bull head, dunderhead, addlehead, blockhead, dullhead, loggerhead, jolthead, jolterhead, beetlehead, beetlebrain, grosshead, muttonhead, noodlehead, giddyhead, numbskull, thickskull, lackbrain, shallowbrain, dimwit, halfwit, lackwit, dunderpate, lunkhead sawney, gowk, clod, clod-hopper, clod-poll, clot-poll, clot-pate, bull calf, gawk, Gothamite, lummox, rube, men of Boeotia, wise men of Gotham, un sot a triple etage, sot, jobbernowl, changeling, mooncalf, gobemouche, dotard, driveler, old fogey, old woman, crock, crone, grandmother, cotquean, henhussy, incompetent (insanity), greenhorn, dunce, lubber, madman, one who will not set the Thames on fire, one who did not invent gunpowder, qui n'a pas invente' la poudre, no conjuror, fortuna favet fatuis, les fous font les festinas et les sages les mangen, nomina stultorum parietibus harrent, stultorum plena sunt omnia.For further exploring for "child" in Webster Dictionary Online
