baby

(bā'bē)
n., pl., -bies.

1. 1. A very young child; an infant.
   2. An unborn child; a fetus.
   3. The youngest member of a family or group.
   4. A very young animal.
2. An adult or young person who behaves in an infantile way.
3. Slang. A girl or young woman.
4. Informal. Sweetheart; dear. Used as a term of endearment.
5. Slang. An object of personal concern or interest: Keeping the boat in good repair is your baby.

adj., -i·er, -i·est.

1. Of or having to do with a baby.
2. Infantile or childish.
3. Small in comparison with others of the same kind: baby vegetables.

tr.v., -bied, -by·ing, -bies.
To pamper like a baby; coddle. See synonyms at pamper.

[Middle English.]

babyhood ba'by·hood' n.
babyish ba'by·ish adj.

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noun

1. A very young child: babe, bambino, infant, neonate, newborn, nursling. Idioms: bundle of joy. See kin, youth/age/maturity.
2. A person who behaves in a childish, weak, or spoiled way: milksop, milquetoast, mollycoddle, weakling. Idioms: mama'sboygirl. See youth/age/maturity.

verb

To treat with indulgence and often overtender care: cater, coddle, cosset, indulge, mollycoddle, overindulge, pamper, spoil. See treat well/treat badly/treat.

adj

Definition: miniature
Antonyms: big, giant, large

n

Definition: infant
Antonyms: adolescent, adult

Certain circumstances at birth were thought to foretell the baby's future character or luck, e.g. a rhyme about days of the week, best known in the version:

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child that is born on the Sabbath day
Is blithe and bonny, good and gay.

A breech birth indicated a trouble-maker (‘awkward born, awkward all their lives’); teeth already visible, a cruel nature; hands open, generosity; a caul, immunity from drowning. Those born at midnight on a Friday, or at the chime hours, would be able to see ghosts; those born on a Sunday, or on Christmas Day, would never be drowned or hanged. Some midwives said the first food to pass the baby's lips should be a spoonful of butter and sugar, to give ‘a sweet nature’.

One widespread rule was that the baby's first move should be upwards, so that it ‘rises’ in life; if possible, this was done by carrying it to a higher storey or an attic, but if there was none, then the midwife should climb on to a stool with the baby in her arms. She should also wrap it in some old shirt or petticoat before putting its proper clothes on, to avert bad luck. In Cumberland, the baby's head was washed with rum for luck, and in Suffolk with gin; everywhere it was (and is) usual to drink its health, which is called ‘wetting the baby's head’. In earlier times, salt, iron, or rowan twigs might be put in the cradle as protection against witches and fairies.

In some areas, it was thought wrong to take a baby out of the house before the day of its baptism. Writers from the late 18th century onwards say that in northern counties when a baby is first taken to visit some relative or neighbour, the latter should present it with ‘a cake of bread, an egg, and a small quantity of salt’; if this is not done the baby will grow up poor, but if it is, he/she will be rich and lucky (Hone, 1827: ii, cols. 21-2). Matches, representing light, were sometimes given as well. The corresponding modern custom, now very widespread, also applies to people visiting the house where the new baby lives, and to those meeting it for the first time in the street; the essential gift is now a silver coin.

Until the baby was a year old, two further rules were common: do not cut the finger- or toenails with scissors, but bite them off instead, or he/she will grow up a thief; do not allow him/her to look into a mirror, or he/she will become conceited.

See also BAPTISM, CAULS, CHILDBIRTH, PREGNANCY.

Bibliography
The full bibliography list is available here.

• Radford, Radford, and Hole, 1961: 95-7, 118-19
• Opie and Tatem, 1989: 10-13, 274-5

IN BRIEF: A very young child; infant.

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on. — Carl Sandburg (1878-1967), American poet & biographer.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: The natural position for cradling and rocking a baby with two arms held together.

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Quotes:

"I have no name: I am but two days old. What shall I call thee? I happy am, Joy is my name. Sweet joy befall thee!" - William Blake

"Except that right side up is best, there is not much to learn about holding a baby. There are one hundred and fifty-two distinctly different ways --and all are right! At least all will do." - Heywood Broun

"A baby is born with a need to be loved and never outgrows it." - Frank A. Clark

"It is a pleasant thing to reflect upon, and furnishes a complete answer to those who contend for the gradual degeneration of the human species, that every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last." - Charles Dickens

"Moving between the legs of tables and of chairs, rising or falling, grasping at kisses and toys, advancing boldly, sudden to take alarm, retreating to the corner of arm and knee, eager to be reassured, taking pleasure in the fragrant brilliance of the Christmas tree." - T. S. Eliot

"Infancy conforms to nobody: all conform to it, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who prattle and play to it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

See more famous quotes about Babies

Babies are very complex dream symbols that represent everything from the rebirth of the self, the emergence of new possibilities in your life, or being rendered helpless and vulnerable. Even a new baby in the dreamer's life may be indicated by this dream, but not always. This symbol often shows up when the dreamer is entering a new phase of life, which is like giving birth to oneself. Bad dreams in which a baby is deformed, has injuries, or is stillborn are not uncommon for parents who are anxious about the pregnancy, especially for expecting couples who have never had children before. Even though it feels like a dreadfully horrible nightmare, it's usually nothing to take seriously, unless they become nightly events. (Also see Embryo, Miscarriage, Pregnant).

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For a list of words related to baby, see:

• Infancy - baby: infant
• Pet Names

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See words rhyming with "babyhood."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Baby.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - baby, spædbarn, lille barn
adj. - baby-, pattebarns-
v. tr. - pusle om, behandle som et spædbarn

idioms:

• baby boom    baby-boom, periode med særligt mange børnefødsler
• baby boomer    person født under et baby-boom, person født i en periode med mange børnefødsler
• baby bouncer    hoppegynge
• baby buggy    barnevogn
• baby carriage    barnevogn
• baby grand    kabinetflygel
• baby sit    babysitte, være babysitter
• baby sitter    babysitter
• baby talk    babysprog, barnesnak
• baby tooth    mælketand
• baby walker    gangstol med hjul

Nederlands (Dutch)
baby, zuigeling, vertroetelen, schatje, liefje, kind, dierbaar, geliefde

Français (French)
n. - bébé, nourrisson, poupon, enfant (péj), (US) copine, petite amie (fam), mec, gars (fam), (fig) affaire (fam), (US) petite merveille (fam)
adj. - de bébé, de nourrisson, enfantin
v. tr. - dorloter, cajoler

idioms:

• baby boom    poussée démographique, baby-boom
• baby boomer    enfant du baby-boom
• baby bouncer    balançoire pour bébés, Baby Bouncer (marque)
• baby buggy    (GB) poussette
• baby carriage    landau, (US) voiture d'enfant
• baby grand    (piano) demi-queue
• baby sitter    être une baby-sitter
• baby talk    babillage, langage enfantin
• baby tooth    dent de lait
• baby walker    trotteur

Deutsch (German)
n. - Baby, Säugling, Schätzchen
adj. - einem Baby gehörig, kindlich, Baby..., kindisch
v. - verhätscheln, wie ein kleines Kind behandeln

idioms:

• baby boom    Geburtenwelle
• baby boomer    in den Jahren 1945-1949 in GB oder den USA geborenes Kind
• baby bouncer    federnder Kindersitz
• baby buggy    Kinderwagen
• baby carriage    Kinderwagen
• baby grand    Stutzflügel
• baby sitter    Babysitter
• baby talk    Babysprache
• baby tooth    Milchzahn
• baby walker    Laufstuhl

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - βρέφος, μωρό, κοπέλα, στερνοπαίδι
v. - φέρομαι σε (κάποιον) σαν να είναι μωρό, κανακεύω

idioms:

• baby boom    περίοδος αυξημένης γεννητικότητας (ιδ. τα μεταπολεμικά χρόνια)
• baby boomer    άτομο που γεννήθηκε στα χρόνια αμέσως μετά τον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο
• baby bouncer    κρεμαστό κάθισμα μωρού
• baby buggy    καροτσάκι μωρού
• baby carriage    καροτσάκι μωρού
• baby grand    μικρό πιάνο με ουρά
• baby sit    φυλάω παιδί (κατά την ολιγόωρη απουσία των γονιών του)
• baby sitter    μπέιμπι σίτερ, (συνήθως αμειβόμενος) φύλακας νηπίου ή μικρού παιδιού
• baby talk    μωρουδιακή γλώσσα
• baby tooth    γαλαξίας (δόντι μωρού)
• baby walker    στράτα μωρού

Italiano (Italian)
coccolare, bambino, tesoro

idioms:

• baby boom    esplosione demografica
• baby boomer    nato in un'esplosione demografica
• baby bouncer    seggiolino sospeso
• baby buggy    carrozzina per bambini
• baby grand    pianoforte a mezza coda
• baby talk    linguaggio infantile
• baby tooth    dente da latte
• baby walker    girello

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bebê (m), caçula (m) (f)
v. - mimar

idioms:

• baby boom    explosão (f) de natalidade
• baby bouncer    balanço de bebê
• baby buggy    carrinho (m) de bebê
• baby grand    piano (m) de meia-cauda
• baby sit    pajear
• baby sitter    pessoa (f) contratada esporadicamente para cuidar de criança
• baby talk    fala (f) de bebê
• baby tooth    dente (m) de leite
• baby walker    andador (m)
• leave someone holding the baby    fazer algo deixando a responsabilidade de alguém

Русский (Russian)
баловать, ребенок, малыш, подружка

idioms:

• baby boom    взрыв деторождаемости
• baby boomer    человек родившийся во время взрыва деторождаемости
• baby bouncer    помощь ребенку подпрыгивать
• baby buggy    детская коляска
• baby grand    маленький рояль
• baby sit    работать приходящей няней, нянчить чужих детей
• baby sitter    приходящая няня
• baby talk    детский лепет
• baby tooth    молочный зуб
• baby walker    помощь детям ходить
• leave someone holding the baby    заставить кого-либо отдуваться
• left holding the baby    остаться крайним

Español (Spanish)
n. - bebé, criatura, cría, crío, lactante, niño de pañales, niño de pecho, angelito, monada
adj. - de niño, para niño
v. tr. - mimar, arrullar, alimentar, dar pecho

idioms:

• baby boom    oleada demográfica
• baby boomer    persona nacida en la oleada demográfica
• baby bouncer    columpio o hamaca de bebé
• baby buggy    cochecito de bebé
• baby carriage    cochecito de bebé
• baby grand    piano de media cola
• baby sitter    nana, niñera
• baby talk    balbuceo infantil
• baby tooth    diente de leche
• baby walker    andador

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - spädbarn, baby, unge, barnunge, sötnos
v. - behandla ömt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
婴孩, 婴儿的, 小型的, 幼小的, 把...当婴儿般对待, 娇纵

idioms:

• baby boom    生育高峰, 出生率激增, 婴儿潮
• baby boomer    生育高峰期出生的人, 在婴儿潮时期出生的人
• baby bouncer    幼儿体操架
• baby buggy    婴儿车
• baby carriage    婴儿车
• baby grand    小型钢琴
• baby sit    当临时保姆
• baby sitter    临时保姆
• baby talk    儿语
• baby tooth    乳齿
• baby walker    学步车

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 嬰孩
adj. - 嬰兒的, 小型的, 幼小的
v. tr. - 把...當嬰兒般對待, 嬌縱

idioms:

• baby boom    生育高峰, 出生率激增, 嬰兒潮
• baby boomer    生育高峰期出生的人, 在嬰兒潮時期出生的人
• baby bouncer    幼兒體操架
• baby buggy    嬰兒車
• baby carriage    嬰兒車
• baby grand    小型鋼琴
• baby sit    當臨時保姆
• baby sitter    臨時保姆
• baby talk    兒語
• baby tooth    乳齒
• baby walker    學步車

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 갓난아기, 골치 아픈 일, 연인
adj. - 어린 아이의[같은], 작은
v. tr. - 응석 받다, 귀여워하다, 가볍게 치다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 赤ん坊, 末っ子, 最年少者, 恋人, 女の子, 赤ん坊のような人
v. - 赤ん坊のように扱う

idioms:

• baby boom    ベビーブーム
• baby boomer    ベビーブームに生まれた人
• baby bouncer    ベビージャンパー(中で子供が跳びはねることのできる遊具)
• baby buggy    腰掛け型乳母車, ベビーバギー
• baby carriage    乳母車
• baby grand    小型グランドピアノ
• baby sit    ベビーシッター
• baby sitter    ベビーシッター
• baby talk    赤ん坊の片言, 赤ちゃんことば
• baby tooth    乳歯
• baby walker    幼児用歩行器

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) طفل رضيع (فعل) يربي طفلا, يدلل, يدلع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮תינוק, זעיר, מותק, בחורה, גור, הצעיר בחבורה, אדם ילדותי, תחום אחריות, עבודה או דאגה של אדם‬
adj. - ‮זעיר, מותק, לשון-פניה ביחסי-קרבה‬
v. tr. - ‮פינק‬

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