infant

Alternative forms

• infaunt (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnfantem, accusative masculine singular of īnfāns, nominal use of the adjective meaning 'not able to speak', from īn- (“not”) + fāns, present participle of for (“to speak”). The verb is from Anglo-Norman enfanter, from the same Latin source.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.fənt/
• Rhymes: -ɪnfənt

Noun

infant (plural infants)

1. A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age, needing almost constant care and/or attention.
2. (law) A minor.
3. (obsolete) A noble or aristocratic youth.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.2:

     Retourned home, the royall Infant fell / Into her former fitt [...].

Verb

infant (third-person singular simple present infants, present participle infanting, simple past and past participle infanted)

1. (obsolete) To bear or bring forth (a child); to produce, in general.
   • Milton

     This worthy motto, "No bishop, no king," is […] infanted out of the same fears.

See also

• sudden infant death syndrome
• newborn
• neonate

Anagrams

• Fintan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem.

Noun

infant m (plural infants)

1. infant, child
2. infante
3. footsoldier

Etymology

From Spanish infante and Portuguese infante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈinfant/

Noun

infant m (genitive singular infanta, nominative plural infanti, genitive plural infantov, declension pattern of chlap)

1. prince, infante (son of a king in Spain and, historically, in Portugal)

References

• infant in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk