child

See also: Child, and Child.

English

A woman with two children c. 1933.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: chīld, IPA^(key): /t͡ʃaɪld/, [t͡ʃaɪ̯ɫd], [ˈt͡ʃaɪ̯.ɫ̩d]

• Audio (Received Pronunciation):

  (file)

  Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪld

Etymology 1

From Middle English child, from Old English ċild, from Proto-West Germanic *kilþ, *kelþ, from Proto-Germanic *kelþaz (“womb; fetus”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵelt- (“womb”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to ball up, amass”).

Cognate with Danish kuld (“brood, litter”), Swedish kull (“brood, litter”), Icelandic kelta, kjalta (“lap”), Gothic 𐌺𐌹𐌻𐌸𐌴𐌹 (kilþei, “womb”), Sanskrit जर्त (jarta), जर्तु (jártu, “vulva”).

Alternative forms

• childe (archaic)
• chile (eye dialect, Southern US)
• (plural): childrens (intentionally incorrect, nonstandard); childs (nonstandard, rare)

Noun

child (plural children or (dialectal or archaic) childer)

2. (broadly) A person who has not yet reached adulthood, whether natural (puberty), cultural (initiation), or legal (majority).

   Synonym: kid

   Hyponyms: newborn, neonate, preteen, adolescent, tweenager, teenager, tween, teen, preadult

   Go easy on him: he is but a child.

   • 2003 Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas (narration)

     And not just the children, teenagers too. Chuck wants a football, Kathleen a tattoo.

   • 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly‎^[1], volume 188, number 26, page 19:

     It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. […] It is the starving of the public sector which has been pivotal in America no longer being the land of opportunity – with a child's life prospects more dependent on the income and education of its parents than in other advanced countries.

   2. (pediatrics, sometimes, in a stricter sense) 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.

      Regular chores can be appropriate for both children and adolescents, given age-appropriate limits on difficulty level and time on task.

      Hypernym: kid

      Coordinate terms: newborn, neonate, infant, adolescent, teenager, teen

4. (with possessive) One's direct descendant by birth, regardless of age; one's offspring; a son or daughter.

   My youngest child is forty-three this year.

   His adult children visit him yearly.

6. (cartomancy) The thirteenth Lenormand card.
8. (figurative) A figurative offspring, particularly:
   1. A person considered a product of a place or culture, a member of a tribe or culture, regardless of age.

      The children of Israel.

      He is a child of his times.

      • 1984, Mary Jane Matz, The Many Lives of Otto Kahn: A Biography, page 5:

        For more than forty years, he preached the creed of art and beauty. He was heir to the ancient wisdom of Israel, a child of Germany, a subject of Great Britain, later an American citizen, but in truth a citizen of the world.

      • 2009, Edward John Moreton Dunsany, Tales of Wonder, page 64:

        Plash-Goo was of the children of the giants, whose sire was Uph. And the lineage of Uph had dwindled in bulk for the last five hundred years, till the giants were now no more than fifteen foot high; but Uph ate elephants […]

   3. Anything derived from or caused by something.
      • 1991, Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children:

        Poverty, disease, and despair are the children of war.

   5. (computing) A data item, process, or object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another.

      The child node then stores the actual data of the parent node.

      • 2011, John Mongan, Noah Kindler, Eric Giguère, Programming Interviews Exposed:

        The algorithm pops the stack to obtain a new current node when there are no more children (when it reaches a leaf).

10. Alternative form of childe (“youth of noble birth”)
12. (mathematics, programming) A subordinate node of a tree.
14. (obsolete, specifically) A female child, a girl.
    • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 288, column 2:

      A boy, or a Childe I wonder?

Synonyms

• (young person): See Thesaurus:child, Thesaurus:boy, and Thesaurus:girl
• (offspring): See offspring and Thesaurus:son and Thesaurus:daughter, binary clone, progeny, hybrid
• (descendant): See descendant
• (product of a place or era): product, son (male), daughter (female)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “offspring”): father, mother, parent
• (antonym(s) of “person below the age of adulthood”): adult
• (antonym(s) of “data item, process or object in a subordinate role”): parent

Derived terms

• abandoned child syndrome
• a burnt child dreads the fire
• antichild
• barrel child
• battered child syndrome
• belchild
• biochild
• birthchild
• black child
• boomerang child
• boychild
• brainchild
• butterfly child
• call someone everything but a child of God
• Chester
• child abuse
• child abuser
• child actor
• childbearer
• child-bearing
• childbearing
• childbed
• child-bed
• child benefit
• child birth
• childbirth
• child-birth
• child-bride
• child bride
• childcare
• child care
• childcarer
• childcaring
• child carrier
• child category
• child-centered
• child-crowing
• child diddler
• child endangerment
• child-free
• child-fucker
• childfucker
• child-great
• child groom
• childhood
• childie
• childification
• child-in-law
• childish
• childism
• childkind
• child labor
• child labour
• child language
• childless
• childlike
• child-like
• childline
• childling
• child lock
• childlore
• childlove
• childlover
• child-mind
• childmind
• child minder
• childminder
• child molestation
• child molester
• child-nature
• child neglect
• childness
• child of the kitchen
• child of the manse
• child porn
• child pornography
• child prodigy
• childproof
• child prostitution
• childraiser
• childraising
• childrearer
• childrearing
• child-rearing
• child restraint
• childsafe
• child safety seat
• child seat
• child sex abuse
• child sex crime
• child sexual abuse
• childship
• child soldier
• childspeak
• child's play
• child support
• childtime
• child-toucher
• child toucher
• childwear
• choirchild
• chomo
• chrisom child
• cowchild
• dog-child
• dreamchild
• feral child
• flower child
• foster child
• get with child
• girlchild
• glass child
• god-child
• godchild
• golden child
• grand-child
• grandchild
• heavy with child
• home child
• honey child
• honey chile
• Indigo child
• inner child
• innocent as the child unborn
• iPad child
• it is a wise child that knows his own father
• it takes a village to raise a child
• latchkey child
• latch-key child
• lovechild
• love-child
• love child
• maid child
• maid-child
• manchild
• man-child
• man child
• marriage
• merchild
• middle child
• minor child
• moonchild
• natural child
• nonchild
• once a man, twice a child
• once a woman, twice a child
• one-child policy
• only child
• password child
• poster child
• pretermitted child
• problem child
• saleschild
• schoolchild
• semichild
• single child
• snowchild
• snowflake child
• sooner child
• spare the rod and spoil the child
• street child
• subchild
• superchild
• sweet summer child
• thalidomide child
• the burnt child dreads the fire
• the burnt child fears the fire
• twichild
• two child problem
• unborn child
• unchild
• war child
• well-child clinic
• whole child
• wild child
• with child
• wolf-child
• woman child
• woman-child
• womanchild
• wombchild
• womb-child
• wonderchild

 

Related terms

• chield
• Child
• childe
• Childermas

Translations

son or daughter; someone's child

• 'Are'are: wera
• Abkhaz: аԥшқа (apŝka), асаби (asabi)
• Acehnese: aneuk
• Adyghe: сабый (sabəj)
• Afar: awka
• Afrikaans: kind (af)
• Aghwan: 𐕘𐔰𐕙 (ġar)
• Albanian: fëmijë (sq) n, bemile f (old Tosk), kalaman m, pjellë (sq),
• Amharic: ልጅ (ləǧ), ብላቴና (bəlatena)
• Arabic: وَلَد (ar) m (walad), (son) اِبْن (ar) m (ibn), (daughter) اِبْنَة f (ibna)
• Aragonese: please add this translation if you can
• Aramaic:

  Classical Syriac: ܙܪܥܐ

• Armenian: երեխա (hy) (erexa), զավակ (hy) (zavak)
• Assamese: ল’ৰা-ছোৱালী (löra-süali), কণমানি (konmani), অকণি (okoni), শিশু (xixu), ছলি (soli)
• Asturian: fíu (ast) m, fía (ast) f
• Avar: лъимер (lˢimer)
• Azerbaijani: uşaq (az), bala (az), çağa (az)
• Baluchi: چک (cukk)
• Banjarese: anak
• Bashkir: бала (bala)
• Basque: sein (eu), ume
• Bavarian: kind, kindl
• Belarusian: дзіця́ n (dzicjá), дзіцё n (dzicjó), рабёнак m (rabjónak)
• Bengali: বাচ্চা (bn) (bacca), শিশু (bn) (śiśu), ওলদ (bn) (ōlod)
• Bhojpuri: बच्चा (baccā)
• Bikol Central: aki (bcl)
• Bislama: pikinini
• Borôro: ore
• Bouyei: leg
• Breton: bugel (br) m
• Bulgarian: дете́ (bg) n (deté), че́до (bg) n (čédo), ро́жба (bg) f (róžba) (newborn)
• Burmese: ကလေး (my) (ka.le:)
• Buryat: хүүгэд (xüüged)
• Butuanon: bata
• Caijia: ŋa⁵⁵
• Carpathian Rusyn: дїтя n (djitja), дїти́на f (djitýna)
• Catalan: nen (ca), nena (ca) f, fill (ca) m (son), filla (ca) f (daughter), xiquet (ca) m, xiqueta (ca) f
• Cebuano: bata
• Central Melanau: aneak
• Chagatai: بلا
• Chechen: бер (ber)
• Cherokee: ᎠᏳᎴ (ayule), ᎠᏲᏟ (ayotli)
• Chichewa: mwana
• Chickasaw: chipota, inchipota
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 仔女 (zai² neoi^5-2), 細路／细路 (yue) (sai³ lou⁶), 細蚊仔／细蚊仔 (yue) (sai³ man¹ zai²), 細路哥／细路哥 (sai³ lou⁶ go¹), 細路仔／细路仔 (yue) (sai³ lou⁶ zai²)

  Dungan: хэзы (hezɨ), щёхэр (xi͡oher), вава (vava), ва (va)

  Eastern Min: 伲囝 (niê-giāng)

  Gan: 細人子／细人子 (xi⁴ nyin zi)

  Hakka: 細人仔／细人仔 (se-ngìn-è)

  Hokkien: 囡仔 (zh-min-nan) (gín-á), 囡仔人 (zh-min-nan) (gín-á-lâng)

  Jin: 娃娃 (va¹ va^1-3)

  Mandarin: 小孩 (zh) (xiǎohái), 小孩子 (zh) (xiǎoháizi), 孩子 (zh) (háizi), 小孩兒／小孩儿 (zh) (xiǎoháir), 孺子 (zh) (rúzǐ) (literary)

  Northern Min: 囝仔 (gṳ̌ing-ciě), 囝仔人 (gṳ̌ing-ciě-nêng)

  Teochew: 孥囝 (nou⁵ gian²)

  Wu: 小囡

  Xiang: 細伢子／细伢子 (si⁴ nga² zr), 細人子／细人子 (si⁴ ren² zr), 伢妹子 (nga² mei⁵ zr)

• Chuanqiandian Cluster Miao: lx (Dananshan Miao)
• Chuvash: ача (ač̬a)
• Cornish: flogh
• Crimean Tatar: bala, evlât
• Czech: dítě (cs) n
• Danish: barn (da) n, børn (da) pl
• Dutch: kind (nl) n
• Dzongkha: please add this translation if you can
• Eastern Arrernte: ampe
• Eastern Khanty: њэврэм (njewrem)
• Egyptian: (ẖrd m), (ms m)
• Elfdalian: kripp m
• Erzya: эйде (ejďe)
• Eshtehardi: لَزَک (lazak)
• Esperanto: (♂♀) infano (eo), (♀) infanino
• Estonian: laps (et)
• Evenki: куңакан
• Ewe: vi
• Extremaduran: please add this translation if you can
• Faroese: barn (fo) n
• Finnish: lapsi (fi), kakara (fi) (derogatory, colloquial), mukula (fi) (colloquial), muksu (fi) (colloquial), nappula (fi) (colloquial), skidi (fi) (slang), pentu (fi) (derogatory, colloquial), tytär (fi) (formal, daughter), tyttö (fi) (daughter), poika (fi) (son), nahkapokaali (humorous, slang), ipana (fi), nulikka (fi) (derogatory), natiainen (fi), vaahtosammutin (fi), penikka (fi), penska (fi), napero (fi), kersa (fi), räkänokka (fi) (derogatory), riiviö (fi) (derogatory), piltti (fi), taapero (fi), junnu (fi), toukka (fi), kakru (fi), pirpana (fi), tenava (fi), vekara (fi)
• French: enfant (fr) m or f
• Galician: nena (gl) f, neno (gl) m
• Ge'ez: ወልድ (wäld)
• Georgian: ბავშვი (bavšvi), შვილი (švili), ძე m (ʒe), ასული f (asuli)
• German: Kind (de) n

  Alemannic German: Chind n

• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 m (frasts), 𐌱𐌰𐍂𐌽 n (barn)
• Greek: παιδί (el) n (paidí), (formal) τέκνο (el) n (tékno)

  Ancient: παῖς m or f (paîs), παίδιον n (paídion), τέκνον n (téknon)

• Greenlandic: meeraq
• Guaraní: mitã
• Guinea-Bissau Creole: fidju
• Gujarati: બાળક (gu) (bāḷka)
• Haitian Creole: timoun
• Hausa: ya’ya
• Hawaiian: keiki
• Hebrew: יֶלֶד (he) m (yéled) (male or in general), יַלְדָּה f (yaldá) (female child), בֵּן (he) m (ben) (son), בַּת (he) f (bat) (daughter)
• Higaonon: bata
• Hiligaynon: bata
• Hindi: बच्चा (hi) m (baccā), (son) बेटा (hi) m (beṭā), (daughter) बेटी (hi) f (beṭī), शिशु (hi) m (śiśu), बालक (hi) m (bālak), लड़का (hi) m (laṛkā), लड़की (hi) f (laṛkī), छोरा (hi) m (chorā), छोरी (hi) f (chorī), बच्ची (hi) f (baccī), बचा (hi) m (bacā), बालक (hi) m (bālak), बालकी (hi) f (bālkī), बालिका (hi) f (bālikā)
• Hungarian: gyerek (hu), gyermek (hu) (legal, medical or literary)
• Iban: anak
• Icelandic: barn (is) n, krakki (is) m
• Ido: (♂♀) infanto (io), (♂) infantulo (io), (♀) infantino (io), (♂♀) puero (io), (♂) puerulo (io), (♀) puerino (io), (♂♀) filio (io), (♂) filiulo (io), (♀) filiino (io)
• Igbo: nyaka, nwata
• Ilocano: anak
• Inari Sami: páárnáš
• Indonesian: anak (id), kanak (id)
• Ingrian: lapsi
• Ingush: бер (ber)
• Interlingua: filia (ia) f
• Iranun: wata'
• Irish: páiste (ga) m, clann (ga) f (collective)
• Italian: bambino (it) m, bambina (it) f, figlio (it) m, figlia (it) f
• Jamaican Creole: pickney
• Japanese: 子供 (ja) (こども, kodomo), 子 (ja) (こ, ko)
• Javanese: anak (jv), putra (jv), bocah (jv), laré
• Judeo-Tat: гIэиль
• Kabardian: сабий (kbd) (sabij)
• Kabuverdianu: fidju
• Kabyle: agrud m
• Kaingang: kósin
• Kalenjin: lakwet
• Kannada: ಹಸುಳೆ (kn) (hasuḷe), ಮಗು (kn) (magu)
• Karakalpak: bala
• Kashubian: òtrok m
• Kazakh: бала (kk) (bala)
• Khmer: កូន (km) (koun)
• Kikuyu: mwana class 1
• Kongo: mwana
• Korean: 어린이 (ko) (eorini), 아이 (ko) (ai), 애 (ko) (ae)
• Krio: pikin
• Kumyk: яш (yaş)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: منداڵ (ckb) (mindall), مناڵ (mnall), زارۆک (zarok)

  Northern Kurdish: zarok (ku)

• Kyrgyz: бала (ky) (bala), наристе (ky) (nariste)
• Laboya: ana
• Ladino: kreatura f, kriatura f
• Lao: ເດັກນ້ອຍ (lo) (dek nǭi), ລູກ (lūk), ເດັກ (dek)
• Latgalian: bārns m
• Latin: filius (la) m, filia (la) f
• Latvian: bērns (lv) m
• Lezgi: аял (aäl)
• Lingala: mwǎna
• Lithuanian: vaikas (lt) m
• Livonian: läpš
• Louisiana Creole French: piti
• Low German: Kind (nds) n
• Lü: ᦟᦴᧅ (luuk)
• Luganda: omwana
• Luhya: omwana
• Luo: nyithindo
• Lushootseed: bədaʔ
• Luxembourgish: Kand n
• Macedonian: дете (mk) n (dete), чедо n (čedo)
• Maguindanao: wata
• Makasae: mata
• Malay: budak (ms), anak (ms)

  Jawi: انق

• Malayalam: കുട്ടി (ml) (kuṭṭi)
• Maltese: tfal m, ibna, tifel (mt) m
• Maori: pangore, tamaiti (mi)
• Maranao: wata', bata'
• Marathi: मूल n (mūl)
• Mari: ньога (ńoga)
• Maricopa: humar
• Mazanderani: وچه (vače)
• Middle English: child, barn
• Middle Korean: 아ᄒᆡ〮 (àhóy)
• Mirandese: criança f
• Moksha: идь (iď)
• Mon: ကွေန် (kon)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: хүүхэд (mn) (xüüxed), хүү (mn) (xüü), жаал (mn) (žaal)

  Mongolian: ᠬᠡᠦᠬᠡᠳ (keüked), ᠬᠥ᠋ᠦ (köü), ᠵᠢᠭᠠᠯ (ǰiɣal)

• Mori Bawah: ana
• Mwani: mwana
• Nama: ǀgôa-i
• Nanai: пиктэ (pikte)
• Navajo: awééʼ, áłchíní pl
• Nepali: बच्चा (baccā)
• Ngarrindjeri: porli
• Nigerian Pidgin: pikin
• Nivkh: оғла (oγla)
• Norman: êfant m or f, avé m, mousse m or f
• North Frisian:

  Föhr-Amrum: jongen n

  Mooring: bjarn n

  Sylt: Jungen n

• Northern Altai: пала (pala), бала (bala)
• Northern Ohlone: šiiniinikma c pl
• Northern Sami: mánná
• Northern Thai: ᩃᩪᨠ, ᨯᩮᩢ᩠ᨠ
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barn (no) n

  Nynorsk: barn n

• Nupe: egi
• Nupe: egi
• Nyunga: koorlingah
• O'odham: ali
• Odia: ପିଲା (or) (pilā), ଶିଶୁ (or) (śiśu)
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: чѧдо n (čędo), дѣтѧ n (dětę)

• Old Czech: dietko n, dietě n
• Old East Slavic: дѣтя n (dětja), чадо n (čado)
• Old English: ċild (ang) n, bearn (ang) n, umbor n
• Old Norse: barn n
• Old Prussian: malnīks
• Ossetian: саби (sabi)
• Pali: dārako m

  Devanagari: दारको m (dārako)

• Papiamentu: mucha
• Pashto: ماشوم (ps) m (māšum), ^{(please verify)} کوچنۍ (kučnəy)
• Pennsylvania German: Kind n
• Persian: بَچِّه (fa) (bačče), بَچِه (fa) (bače), کودَک (fa) (kudak), فَرزَنْد (fa) (farzand), ^{(please verify)} کُر (fa) (kor)
• Pijin: pikinini
• Pirahã: tiobáhai
• Pite Sami: mánná
• Pitjantjatjara: tjitji
• Plautdietsch: Kjint (nds) n
• Polabian: våtrük m
• Polish: dziecko (pl) n, dziecię (pl) n (dated)
• Portuguese: filho (pt) m, filha (pt) f, criança (pt) f
• Punjabi: ਬੱਚਾ (baccā), ਬੱਚਾ m or f (baccā)
• Quechua: wamra (qu)
• Romanian: fiu (ro) m, fiică (ro) f, copil (ro) m, copilă (ro) f,
• Romansch: uffant m, affon m, unfànt m, unfant m, iffaunt m
• Russian: ребёнок (ru) m (rebjónok), дитя́ (ru) n (ditjá), ча́до (ru) n (čádo) (archaic, humorous)
• Saek: แด๊ก
• Saho: awka
• Samogitian: vāks m
• Sanskrit: शिशु (sa) m (śiśu), बालक (sa) m (bālaka), जात (sa) m or n (jāta)
• Santali: ᱜᱳᱱ (gon)
• Scots: bairn
• Scottish Gaelic: pàisde m, leanabh m
• Seraiki: ٻال (skr) (ḇāl)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: де́те n, дије́те n, че̏до n

  Roman: déte (sh) n, dijéte (sh) n, čȅdo (sh) n

• Shan: လုၵ်ႈ (shn) (lūk)
• Sikkimese: please add this translation if you can
• Silesian: dziycio
• Sindhi: ٻارُ (sd) (ḇāru)
• Sinhalese: ළමයා (si) (ḷamayā)
• Skolt Sami: päärnaž
• Slovak: dieťa (sk) n
• Slovene: otrok (sl) m, dete (sl) n
• Somali: ilmo (so), caruur, canug
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: źiśe n, góle n

  Upper Sorbian: dźěćo (hsb)

• Sotho: ngwana (st)
• Southern Altai: бала (bala)
• Southern Amami Ōshima: warabɨ (warabɨ)
• Spanish: hijo (es) m, hija (es) f, niño (es) m, niña (es) f
• Sundanese: murangkalih
• Swahili: mtoto (sw), mwana (sw)
• Swedish: barn (sv) n
• Sylheti: ꠛꠣꠁꠌ꠆ꠌꠣ (baicca), ꠢꠥꠞꠥꠔꠣ (huruta)
• Tabaru: ngowaka
• Tagalog: anak (tl)
• Tai Dam: ꪩꪴꪀ
• Tai Nüa: ᥘᥧᥐ (luk)
• Tajik: кӯдак (tg) (küdak)
• Talysh: (Anbarani) باله (bâla), (Asalemi) خردن (xərdan)
• Tamil: குழந்தை (ta) (kuḻantai), மக (ta) (maka)
• Taos: ȕʼúna
• Tatar: бала (tt) (bala)
• Tausug: anak, bata
• Telugu: పాప (te) (pāpa)
• Ternate: ngofa
• Tetum: labarik
• Thai: ลูก (th) (lûuk), เด็ก (th) (dèk), ศิศุ (sì-sù)
• Tibetan: ཕྲུ་གུ (phru gu), ཨ་བ (a ba)
• Tidore: ngofa
• Tigrinya: ሕጻን (ḥəṣan), ቆልዓ (ḳolʿa)
• Tok Pisin: pikinini
• Tumbuka: mwana
• Turkish: çocuk (tr), evlat (tr) (one's own child)
• Turkmen: çaga
• Tuvan: уруг (urug)
• Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎍𐎄 (yld)
• Ukrainian: дити́на (uk) f (dytýna), дитя́ n (dytjá), дитя́тко n (dytjátko)
• Urdu: بَچَّہ m (bacca), (son) بیٹا (ur) m (beṭā), (daughter) بیٹی f (beṭī)
• Uyghur: بالا (ug) (bala)
• Uzbek: bola (uz)
• Veps: laps'
• Vietnamese: đứa bé (vi), đứa trẻ, con (vi) (one's child)
• Volapük: (♂♀) cil (vo), (♂) hicil (vo), (♀) jicil (vo), (♂) son (vo), (♀) daut (vo), (♀) jison, (collective) cilef
• Votic: lahsi
• Walloon: efant (wa) m
• Welsh: plentyn (cy) m
• West Frisian: bern (fy) n
• Wolof: xale (wo), gune
• Wutunhua: galamala
• Xârâcùù: xûûchî
• Xhosa: umntwana
• Yakut: оҕо (oğo)
• Yiddish: קינד n (kind)
• Yoruba: èwe, ọmọ, ọmọdé
• Yucatec Maya: paal, aal
• Zande: gude
• Zazaki: qeç (diq), tut, lorek, doman (diq)
• Zealandic: kind n
• Zhuang: lwg, lwgnyez
• Zulu: umntwana (zu) class 1/2, ingane (zu) class 9/10
• ǃXóõ: ʘqa̰a

a minor

• 'Are'are: wera
• Afrikaans: kind (af)
• Albanian: fëmijë (sq) n
• Arabic: طِفْل (ar) m (ṭifl), طِفْلَة f (ṭifla)

  Egyptian Arabic: عيل m (ʕayyel), طفل m (ṭefl) (infant)

  Gulf Arabic: بزر m (bazer)

  Iraqi Arabic: جاهل m (jāhel)

  Lebanese Arabic: وَلَد m (walad), صبي m (ṣabi) (boy/son)

  Moroccan Arabic: درّي m (derri)

  North Mesopotamian Arabic: عجي m (ʕeji)

• Armenian: երեխա (hy) (erexa), մանուկ (hy) (manuk)
• Asturian: neñu (ast) m, ñeñu m
• Azerbaijani: uşaq (az), bala (az)
• Baluchi: چک (cukk)
• Bashkir: бала (bala)
• Breton: minor m, minored pl
• Bulgarian: дете́ (bg) n (deté)
• Burmese: ကလေး (my) (ka.le:)
• Catalan: nen (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 細路／细路 (yue) (sai³ lou⁶), 細蚊仔／细蚊仔 (yue) (sai³ man¹ zai²), 細路哥／细路哥 (sai³ lou⁶ go¹)

  Hokkien: 囡仔 (zh-min-nan) (gín-á)

  Mandarin: 小孩 (zh) (xiǎohái), 小孩子 (zh) (xiǎoháizi), 孩子 (zh) (háizi), 小孩兒／小孩儿 (zh) (xiǎoháir)

  Teochew: 孥囝 (nou⁵ gian²)

• Crimean Tatar: bala
• Czech: dítě (cs) n
• Danish: barn (da) n, børn (da) pl
• Dutch: kind (nl) n
• Esperanto: (male or female) infano (eo), (male) virinfano, (female) infanino
• Estonian: laps (et)
• Ewe: ɖevi
• Fijian: gone (fj)
• Finnish: lapsi (fi), alaikäinen (fi)
• French: enfant (fr) m
• Georgian: ბავშვი (bavšvi)
• German: Kind (de) n
• Greek: παιδί (el) n (paidí), ανήλικος (el) m (anílikos)
• Gujarati: બાળક (gu) (bāḷka)
• Hawaiian: keiki
• Hebrew: יֶלֶד (he) m (yéled), יַלְדָּה f (yaldá)
• Hindi: बच्चा (hi) m (baccā), बच्ची (hi) f (baccī), शिशु (hi) m (śiśu), बचा (hi) m (bacā), बालक (hi) m (bālak), बालकी (hi) f (bālkī), बालिका (hi) f (bālikā)
• Hungarian: gyerek (hu), gyermek (hu)
• Icelandic: barn (is)
• Ido: puero (io), infanto (io)
• Interlingua: infante (ia)
• Irish: páiste (ga) m
• Italian: bambino (it) m, bambina (it) f
• Japanese: 子供 (ja) (こども, kodomo), 子 (ja) (こ, ko), 未成年 (ja) (みせいねん, miseinen)
• Korean: 어린이 (ko) (eorini)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بچووک (ckb) (bçûk), مناڵ (mnall), منداڵ (ckb) (mindall)

  Northern Kurdish: zarok (ku) m or f, biçûk (ku) m or f

• Latgalian: bārns m
• Latin: praetextatus m, impubes c
• Latvian: bērns (lv) m
• Lezgi: аял (aäl)
• Lithuanian: vaikas (lt) m
• Livonian: läpš
• Macedonian: дете (mk) n (dete)
• Malagasy: zaza (mg)
• Maltese: tifla
• Middle English: child, barn, gerle
• Mwani: kisimana
• Ngarrindjeri: porli
• Norman: êfant m or f, avé m, mousse m or f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barn (no) n mindreårig (no) m

• Nupe: dzánkàn
• Old English: ċild (ang)
• Persian: بچه (fa) (bačče, bače), کودک (fa) (kudak), بچ (fa) (dialectal)
• Polish: dziecko (pl) n
• Portuguese: criança (pt) f, menino (pt) m, menina (pt) f, miúdo (pt) m (Portugal)
• Potawatomi: penoje
• Punjabi: ਬੱਚਾ m or f (baccā)
• Romanian: copil (ro) m, copilă (ro) f
• Romansch: uffant m, affon m, unfànt m, unfant m, iffaunt m
• Russian: ребёнок (ru) m (rebjónok), дитя́ (ru) n (ditjá)
• Samogitian: vāks m
• Sanskrit: शिशु (sa) (śíśu)
• Saterland Frisian: Bäiden
• Scots: bairn
• Scottish Gaelic: pàisde m, leanabh m
• Slovene: otrok (sl) m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: źiśe n, góle n

• South Efate: tesa
• Spanish: niño (es) m, niña (es) f, infante (es) m
• Swahili: mtoto (sw)
• Swedish: barn (sv)
• Tagalog: bata (tl)
• Tok Pisin: pikinini
• Turkish: çocuk (tr)
• Ukrainian: дити́на (uk) f (dytýna), дитя́ n (dytjá)
• Urdu: بچہ m (baccā)
• Vietnamese: đứa bé (vi), đứa trẻ
• Welsh: plentyn dan oed
• West Frisian: bern (fy) n
• Yiddish: קינד (kind)
• Yoruba: ọmọdé
• Yucatec Maya: paal
• Zazaki: qeç (diq), doman (diq)
• Zhuang: lwgnyez
• Zulu: umntwana (zu) class 1/2, ingane (zu) class 9/10

(figuratively) things or abstractions derived from or caused by something

member of a tribe, a people or a race of beings

• Azerbaijani: övlad (az)
• Bashkir: бала (bala)
• Hebrew: בן (he) m (ben)

(computing) object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another object

• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 仔 (yue) (zai²)

• Czech: dcera (cs) f
• Dutch: kind (nl) n
• Finnish: lapsiobjekti
• Georgian: შვილობილი (švilobili)
• Greek: απότοκος (el) m (apótokos)
• Icelandic: barn (is)
• Japanese: 子 (ja) (こ, ko)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barn (no) n

• Portuguese: filho (pt) m
• Russian: доче́рний (ru) (dočérnij)
• Swahili: mwana (sw)
• Swedish: barn (sv)
• Vietnamese: con (vi) (only attributively)

(mathematics) subordinate node

• Esperanto: ido (eo)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Breton: ^{(please verify)} krouadur (br) m, (young child) ^{(please verify)} -ien (br)
• Guaraní: ^{(please verify)} mitã'i
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} anak (id), ^{(please verify)} bocah (id)
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} infante (ia)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 어린이 (ko) (eorini)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} zarrok (ku)

• Maltese: ^{(please verify)} iben, ^{(please verify)} tifel (mt)
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} بَچِّه (fa) (bačče)
• Tupinambá: ^{(please verify)} pitanga

See also

• orling

Etymology 2

From Middle English childen, from the noun child.

Verb

child (third-person singular simple present childs, present participle childing, simple past and past participle childed)

1. (archaic, transitive, intransitive) To give birth; to beget or procreate.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book VI, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, stanza 17, page 512:

     My liefe (ſayd ſhe) ye know, that long ygo,
     Whileſt ye in durance dwelt, ye to me gaue
     A little mayde, the which ye chylded tho ;
     The ſame againe if now ye liſt to haue,
     The ſame is yonder Lady, whom high God did ſaue.

   • 1600, [Torquato Tasso], “The Eighteenth Booke of Godfrey of Bulloigne”, in Edward Fairefax [i.e., Edward Fairfax], transl., Godfrey of Bulloigne, or The Recouerie of Ierusalem. […], London: […] Ar[nold] Hatfield, for I[saac] Iaggard and M[atthew] Lownes, →OCLC, stanza 26, page 320:

     And from his fertill hollow wombe forth ran,
     (Clad in rare weedes and ſtrange habiliment)
     A Nymph, for age able to goe to man,
     An hundreth plants beſide (euen in his ſight)
     Childed an hundreth Nymphes, ſo great, ſo dight: […]

   • c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act III, scene v]:

     […] But then the mind much ſufferance doth or'e ſcip,
     When griefe hath mates,​and bearing fellowſhip :
     How light and portable my paine ſeemes now,
     When that which makes me bend, makes the King bow,
     He childed as I fathered,​Tom away,
     Marke the high noyſes and thy ſelfe bewray, […]

Translations

to give birth — see give birth

Further reading

• Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary (accessed November 2007).
• American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company (2003).

Middle English

Alternative forms

• chyld, chylde, childe, chelde, cild

Etymology

From Old English ċild, from Proto-Germanic *kelþaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃiːld/

Noun

child (plural children or childre or child or childres)

1. A baby, infant, toddler; a person in infancy.
2. A child, kid; a young person.
3. An offspring, one of one's progeny.
4. A childish or stupid individual.
5. (Christianity) The Christ child; Jesus as a child.
6. (figurative) A member of a creed (usually with the religion in the genitive preposing it)
7. A young male, especially one employed as an hireling.
8. A young noble training to become a knight; a squire or childe.
9. The young of animals or plants.
10. A material as a result or outcome.

Related terms

• child bed
• childberyng
• childen
• Childermasse day
• childhode
• childing
• childissh
• childles
• childly
• childwyte
• knave child
• stepchild

 

Descendants

• English: child
• Scots: child; chield

References

• “chīld, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-04-23.