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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

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English

baby

/ˈbeɪ.bi/
A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.

    Etymology graph

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    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
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    Origin

    From Middle English baby, babie (“baby”), a diminutive form of babe (“babe, baby”), equivalent to babe + -y/-ie (“endearing and diminutive suffix”). Perhaps ultimately imitative of baby talk (compare babble).

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishbaby
      • partMiddle Englishbabe
        • inheritedOld English*baba
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*babō
            • inheritedProto-Germanic*babô
              • derivedProto-Germanic*bō- “brother, close male relation”
                • inheritedProto-Indo-European*bʰā-
      • partMiddle English-y
        • derivedMiddle English-ie
          • derivedOld French-ie
        • inheritedOld English-iġ
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*-g
          • inheritedProto-West Germanic*-i
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*-ōn
          • inheritedProto-Germanic*-ōną
    • surface analysisEnglishbabe “A baby or infant; a very young human or animal.”
    • surface analysisEnglish-y “Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives meaning “having the quality of”, either “involving…”

    Words built on it: baby-to-be

    Meanings

    noun
    1. A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
    2. A very young human, even if not yet born.
    3. Any very young animal, especially a vertebrate; many species have specific names for their babies, such as kittens for the babies of cats, puppies for the babies of dogs, and chicks for the babies of birds. See :Category:Baby animals for more.
    4. A person who is immature, infantile, or feeble.
    5. A person who is new to or inexperienced in something.
    6. The lastborn of a family; the youngest sibling, irrespective of age.
    adj
    1. Picked when small and immature (as in baby corn, baby potatoes).
    2. Newest (overall, or in some group or state); most inexperienced.
    3. Like or pertaining to a baby, in size or youth; small, young.
    verb
    1. To coddle; to pamper somebody like an infant.
    2. To tend (something) with care; to be overly attentive to (something), fuss over.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: baby