Adjacent Words

Infant definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

IN'FANT, n. [L. infans; in and fans, speaking, fari, to speak.]
1. A child in the first period of life, beginning at his birth; a young babe. In common usage, a child ceases to be called an infant within the first or second year, but at no definite period. In some cases, authors indulge a greater latitude, and extend the term to include children of several years of age.
2. In law, a person under the age of twenty one years, who is incapable of making valid contracts.
IN'FANT, a. Pertaining to infancy or the first period of life.
1. Young; tender; not mature; as infant strength.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk; "the baby began to cry again"; "she held the baby in her arms"; "it sounds simple, but when you have your own baby it is all so different" [syn: baby, babe, infant]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English enfaunt, from Anglo-French enfant, from Latin infant-, infans, from infant-, infans, adjective, incapable of speech, young, from in- + fant-, fans, present participle of fari to speak — more at ban Date: 14th century 1. a child in the first period of life 2. a person who is not of full age ; minor II. adjective Date: circa 1586 1. intended for young children 2. being in an early stage of development 3. of, relating to, or being in infancy

Oxford Reference Dictionary

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. Phrases and idioms: 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)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Infant In"fant, n. [L. infans; pref. in- not + fari to speak: cf. F. enfant, whence OE. enfaunt. See Fame, and cf. Infante, Infanta.] 1. A child in the first period of life, beginning at his birth; a young babe; sometimes, a child several years of age. And tender cries of infants pierce the ear. --C. Pitt. 2. (Law) 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. Note: 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. 3. Same as Infante. [Obs.] --Spenser.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Infant In"fant, a. 1. Of or pertaining to infancy, or the first period of life; tender; not mature; as, infant strength. 2. Intended for young children; as, an infant school.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Infant In"fant, v. t. [Cf. F. enfanter.] To bear or bring forth, as a child; hence, to produce, in general. [Obs.] This worthy motto, ``No bishop, no king,'' is . . . infanted out of the same fears. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(infants) 1. An infant is a baby or very young child. (FORMAL) ...young mums with infants in prams... ...the infant mortality rate in Britain. N-COUNT: oft N n 2. Infants are children between the ages of five and seven, who go to an infant school. (BRIT) N-COUNT: usu pl • You use the infants to refer to a school or class for such children. You've been my best friend ever since we started in the infants. N-UNCOUNT: the N 3. Infant means designed especially for very young children. ...an infant carrier in the back of a car. ADJ: ADJ n 4. An infant organization or system is new and has not developed very much. The infant company was based in Germany. ADJ: ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Babe, baby, nursling, suckling, chit, brat, bantling, little child, little one, bairn (Scotch). 2. (Law.) Minor.

Foolish Dictionary

A disturber of the peace. (See INFANTRY)

Moby Thesaurus

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, youthful