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infant definition

in·fant (in′fənt)

noun

  1. a very young child; baby
  2. a person in the state of legal infancy; minor

Etymology: ME infaunt < OFr enfant < L infans (gen. infantis), child < adj., not yet speaking < in-, not + fans, prp. of fari, to speak: see fame

adjective

  1. of or for infants or infancy
  2. in a very early stage

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical infant definition - medical

infant Synonyms

infant

n.

baby, newborn, tot, little one; see baby 1, child.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

infant Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • breast-feed: In support of this notion, recent clinical studies have demonstrated that the breast-fed infant has a lower risk of acquiring urinary tract infections.

Adjective modifier

  • newborn: The results showed that newborn infants can imitate both adult displays.

Modifies a noun

  • mortality: In 1901 infant mortality was 142 deaths per 1000 live births.

Noun used with modifier

  • preterm: This changed dramatically with the administration of supplemental oxygen to preterm infants in the late 1940s.
infant usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

infant quotes

It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other.

-Bacon, Francis,Viscount St Albans

Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires. 134

-Blake,William

   Language was not powerful enough to describe the infant phenomenon.

-Dickens, CharlesJohn Huffam

infant quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"infant." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/infant>

APA Style

infant. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/infant

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