Word Study
infant
CIDE DICTIONARY
infant, n. [L. infans; pref. in- not + fari to speak: cf. F. enfant, whence OE. enfaunt. See Fame, and cf. Infante, Infanta.].
- A child in the first period of life, beginning at his birth; a young babe; sometimes, a child several years of age. [1913 Webster]"And tender cries of infants pierce the ear." [1913 Webster]
- A person who is not of full age, or who has not attained the age of legal capacity; a person under the age of twenty-one years; a minor. [1913 Webster]" An infant under seven years of age is not penally responsible; between seven and fourteen years of age, he may be convicted of a malicious offense if malice be proved. He becomes of age on the day preceding his twenty-first birthday, previous to which time an infant has no capacity to contract." [1913 Webster]
- Same as Infante. Spenser. [1913 Webster]
infant, a.
- Of or pertaining to infancy, or the first period of life; tender; not mature; as, infant strength. [1913 Webster]
- Intended for young children; as, an infant school. [1913 Webster]
infant, v. t. [Cf. F. enfanter.].
To bear or bring forth, as a child; hence, to produce, in general. [1913 Webster]
"This worthy motto, “No bishop, no king,” is . . . infanted out of the same fears." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
infant, n.
1 a a child during the earliest period of its life. b Brit. a schoolchild below the age of seven years.
2 (esp. attrib.) a thing in an early stage of its development.
3 Law a minor; a person under 18.
1 a a child during the earliest period of its life. b Brit. a schoolchild below the age of seven years.
2 (esp. attrib.) a thing in an early stage of its development.
3 Law a minor; a person under 18.
Idiom
infant mortality death before the age of one.
Etymology
ME f. OF enfant f. L infans unable to speak (as IN-(1), fans fantis pres. part. of fari speak)
THESAURUS
infant
abecedarian, aboriginal, adolescent, angel, antenatal, apprentice, arrested, autochthonous, babe, babish, baby, baby bunting, babyish, bambino, bantling, bay, beginner, beginning, budding, callow, catechumen, child, child of nature, classmate, creative, deb, debutant, defective, deficient, doll-like, dollish, dove, dupe, elemental, elementary, embryonic, entrant, failing, fellow student, fetal, fledgling, formative, foundational, freshman, fundamental, gestatory, grade schooler, green, greenhorn, greeny, hick, high schooler, hopeful, hypoplastic, immature, in arms, in arrear, in arrears, in default, in diapers, in embryo, in its infancy, in nappies, in short supply, in swaddling clothes, in the bud, in the cradle, inadequate, inaugural, inceptive, inchoate, inchoative, incipient, incomplete, incubator baby, incunabular, infantile, infantine, ingenue, initial, initiative, initiatory, innocent, intermediate schooler, introductory, inventive, junior, juvenal, juvenile, kindergartner, kittenish, lacking, lamb, learner, little angel, little darling, lout, mere child, mewling infant, minor, missing, nascent, natal, needing, neonatal, neonate, neophyte, nestling, newborn, newborn babe, newcomer, noble savage, novice, novitiate, nursery school child, nursling, oaf, original, papoose, part, partial, parturient, patchy, postnatal, preemie, pregnant, premature baby, prenatal, prep schooler, preschool child, preschooler, primal, primary, primary schooler, prime, primeval, primitive, primogenial, probationer, procreative, pubescent, puling infant, raw recruit, recruit, rookie, rube, rudimental, rudimentary, sapling, scant, scanty, school child, school kid, school lad, schoolboy, schoolfellow, schoolgirl, schoolmate, scrappy, secondary schooler, short, shy, simple soul, sketchy, slip, sprig, stripling, suckling, teenager, teener, teenybopper, tenderfoot, toddler, trainee, tyro, underdeveloped, undeveloped, unfledged, unripe, unsophisticate, ur, wanting, weanling, yearling, yokel, young hopeful, young person, younger, youngest, youngling, youngster, youth, youthfulROGET THESAURUS
infant
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.Weakness
N weakness, debility, atony, relaxation, languor, enervation, impotence, infirmity, effeminacy, feminality, fragility, flaccidity, inactivity, anaemia, bloodlessness, deficiency of blood, poverty of blood, declension of strength, loss of strength, failure of strength, delicacy, invalidation, decrepitude, asthenia, adynamy, cachexy, cachexia, sprain, strain, reed, thread, rope of sand, house of cards, softling, weakling, infant, youth, weak, feeble, debile, impotent, relaxed, unnerved sapless, strengthless, powerless, weakly, unstrung, flaccid, adynamic, asthenic, nervous, soft, effeminate, feminate, womanly, frail, fragile, shattery, flimsy, unsubstantial, insubstantial, gimcrack, gingerbread, rickety, creaky, creaking, cranky, craichy, drooping, tottering, broken, lame, withered, shattered, shaken, crazy, shaky, palsied, decrepit, languid, poor, infirm, faint, faintish, sickly, dull, slack, evanid, spent, short-winded, effete, weather-beaten, decayed, rotten, worn, seedy, languishing, wasted, washy, laid low, pulled down, the worse for wear, unstrengthened, unsupported, unaided, unassisted, aidless, defenseless, cantilevered (support), on its last legs, weak as a child, weak as a baby, weak as a chicken, weak as a cat, weak as a rat, weak as water, weak as water gruel, weak as gingerbread, weak as milk and water, colorless, non sum qualis eram.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 "infant" in Webster Dictionary Online