infant

See also: Infant

English

Alternative forms

• infaunt (obsolete)

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English infaunt, 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. Doublet of infante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪn.fənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪnfənt
• Hyphenation: in‧fant

Noun

infant (plural infants)

2. A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age after birth, needing almost constant care and attention.

   Synonym: baby

3. (law) A minor.
   • 1793, William Peere Williams, Samuel Compton Cox, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery, and of Some Special Cases Adjudged in the Court of King's Bench [1695-1735]: De Term. S. Trin. 1731, page 602:

     Thomas Humphrey Doleman died the 30th of August 1712, an infant, intestate and without issue; Lewis the next nephew died the 17th of April 1716, an infant about sixteen years old, having left his mother Mary Webb, ...

4. (countable, chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) A student in an infant school or the first part of a primary school.

   Coordinate term: junior

5. (obsolete) A noble or aristocratic youth.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

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

Derived terms

• floppy infant syndrome
• infantcare
• infant formula
• infanthood
• infant industry
• infantize
• infantlike
• infantly
• infant massage
• infant mortality
• infantocracy
• infantometer
• infantophile
• infantophilia
• infantophobe
• infantophobia
• infantorium
• infant respiratory distress syndrome
• infant safety seat
• infant school
• infant seat
• infant star
• infantswear
• infantwear
• junior infant
• nigfant
• noninfant
• Puerto Rican infant hypotonia syndrome
• senior infant
• swimfant
• terrible infant

Related terms

• infancy
• infanteer, infantier
• infante, infanta
• infanticide
• infantile
• infantry

Translations

very young human being

• Ainu: アィアィ (ayay)
• Albanian: foshnjë (sq) f
• Arabic: رَضِيع m (raḍīʕ)
• Armenian: երեխա (hy) (erexa), մանուկ (hy) (manuk)
• Azerbaijani: körpə (az)
• Belarusian: немаўля́ n (njemawljá), немаўлё n (njemawljó), маладзе́нец n (maladzjénjec), нованаро́джаны m (novanaródžany) (newborn), дзіця́ n (dzicjá)
• Bengali: বাচ্চা (bn) (bacca)
• Bikol:

  Central Bikol: umboy (bcl)

• Bulgarian: бе́бе (bg) n (bébe), пелена́че (bg) n (pelenáče), ^{(please verify)} дзіцяня́ n, ^{(please verify)} дзіцянё n, ^{(please verify)} дзіця́ n, кърма́че (bg) n (kǎrmáče), новороде́но (bg) n (novorodéno) (newborn)
• Burmese: ကလေး (my) (ka.le:), နို့စို့ကလေး (nui.cui.ka.le:)
• Catalan: infant (ca) m, nen (ca) m, nena (ca) f, nadó (ca) m
• Cherokee: ᎤᏍᏗᎢ (usdii)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 嬰兒 / 婴儿 (zh) (yīng'ér)

• Czech: kojenec (cs) m, nemluvně (cs) n
• Danish: spædbarn (da) n
• Dutch: zuigeling (nl) m or f
• Esperanto: bebo (eo), infaneto (eo)
• Estonian: rinnalaps, imik
• Faroese: barn (fo) n, pinkubarn n, smábarn n
• Finnish: pikkulapsi (fi), imeväinen (fi)
• French: nourrisson (fr) m, enfant en bas âge, poupon (fr)
• Galician: bebé (gl) m, neno de peito m, nena de peito f
• Georgian: ჩვილი (čvili)
• German: Säugling (de) m, Wickelkind (de) n, Kind (de) n, Kleinkind (de) n, kleines Kind n, Kriechling m, Baby (de) n
• Greek: βρέφος (el) n (vréfos), νήπιο (el) n (nípio)

  Ancient Greek: βρέφος n (bréphos), νήπιος m (nḗpios)

• Hebrew: עוֹלָל (he) m (olál), תִּינוֹק (he) m (tinók)
• Hindi: शिशु (hi) m (śiśu)
• Hungarian: csecsemő (hu), kisbaba (hu)
• Ingrian: vakahain
• Interlingua: infante (ia)
• Italian: bambino (it) m, bambina (it) f, infante (it) m or f
• Japanese: 赤ちゃん (ja) (あかちゃん, akachan), 赤ん坊 (ja) (あかんぼう, akanbō), 幼児 (ja) (ようじ, yōji), 乳児 (ja) (にゅうじ, nyūji), 乳飲み子 (ちのみご, chinomigo)
• Khmer: កូនង៉ែត (koun ngaet), កូនង៉ា (koun ngaa), ង៉ា (ngaa), ង៉ែត (km) (ngaet), ទារក (km) (tiərŭək) (boy), ទារិកា (km) (tiərikaa) (girl), កូនខ្ចី (koun khcəy)
• Korean: 유아(乳兒) (ko) (yua), 젖먹이 (ko) (jeonmeogi), 아기 (ko) (agi)
• Kyrgyz: наристе (ky) (nariste), бала (ky) (bala)
• Latin: infans m or f
• Latvian: zīdainis m
• Lithuanian: žinduklis m
• Livonian: imbiläpš
• Macedonian: бебе (mk) n (bebe), детенце n (detence), мало n (malo), доенче n (doenče)
• Māori: kōhungahunga, piripoho
• Mari:

  Eastern Mari: аза (aza)

• Middle English: infaunt
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: нялх хүүхэд (mn) (njalx xüüxed), маамуу (mn) (maamuu)

• Nahuatl: cozcapantica
• Norwegian: spedbarn n
• Occitan: nene m, nenon (oc) m, nenet (oc) m, toston
• Persian: طفل (fa) (tefl), کودک (fa) (kudak), نوزاد (fa) (nowzâd) (newborn)
• Polish: niemowlę (pl) n, niemowlak (pl) m
• Portuguese: infante (pt) m or f
• Romanian: bebeluș (ro) m, copilaș (ro) m, sugar (ro) m or n (suckling)
• Russian: младе́нец (ru) m (mladénec), (грудно́й) ребёнок (ru) m (rebjónok), дитя́ (ru) n (ditjá), новорождённый (ru) m (novoroždjónnyj) (newborn)
• Scottish Gaelic: maothran m, leanabh m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бе́ба f, малѝша̄н m, дете́нце n, дјете́нце n, новоро̀ђе̄нче n, о̀до̄јче n, до̀је̄нче n

  Latin: béba (sh) f, malìšān (sh) m, deténce (sh) n, djeténce (sh) n, novoròđēnče (sh) n, òdōjče (sh) n, dòjēnče (sh) n

• Slovak: dojča n, nemluvňa n
• Slovene: dojenček (sl) m
• Spanish: nene (es) m, infante (es) m
• Sundanese: ᮇᮛᮧᮊ᮪ (orok)
• Swahili: watoto wachanga (sw)
• Swedish: spädbarn (sv)
• Tagalog: sanggol (tl)
• Tajik: кӯдак (tg) (küdak)
• Tarifit: asiymi m
• Telugu: శిశువు (te) (śiśuvu), పసిపాప (te) (pasipāpa)
• Thai: เด็กอ่อน (th) (dèk-ɔ̀ɔn), เด็กน้อย (dèk-nɔ́ɔi), ทารก (th) (taa-rók) (boy), ทาริกา (taa-rí-gaa) (girl)
• Turkish: bebek (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: ببك (bebek)

• Ukrainian: немовля́ n (nemovljá), немовля́тко n (nemovljátko), малю́к m (maljúk), дитя́тко n (dytjátko), дити́на (uk) f (dytýna), ля́лька (uk) f (ljálʹka), новонаро́джений m (novonaródženyj) (newborn)
• Uzbek: goʻdak (uz)
• Vietnamese: trẻ sơ sinh
• Yakut: кыһыл оҕо (kïhïl oğo), ньирэй оҕо (ňirey oğo)
• Yiddish: ייפֿעלע n (eyfele), עופֿעלע n (eyfele)
• Zulu: ingane (zu) class 9/10

legal minor

• Armenian: անչափահաս (hy) (ančʻapʻahas)
• Bengali: বাচ্চা (bn) (bacca)
• Bulgarian: непълнолетен (bg) (nepǎlnoleten)
• Danish: mindreårig c
• Galician: menor (gl) m or f
• German: Minderjähriger (de) m, Minderjährige (de) f
• Hindi: बालक (hi) m (bālak), बालिका (hi) f (bālikā)
• Hungarian: kiskorú (hu)
• Italian: minorenne (it) m or f, minore (it) m or f
• Norwegian: barn (no) n, mindreårig (no) m
• Portuguese: menor (pt) m or f
• Swedish: underårig (sv)
• Turkish: minör (tr)

Adjective

The infant River Wharfe in Langstrothdale

infant (not comparable)

1. (not comparable, chiefly UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) Of or pertaining to the earlier half of primary school education.

   Coordinate term: junior

   • 2019, Sandra Ballweg, Portfolioarbeit im Kontext von Sprachenunterricht, Göttingen University Press, →ISBN, page 26:

     Primary schooling in Ireland comprises two Infant years, which are equivalent to pre-school in other countries , and six grades or classes.

   • 2022 November 21, Carol Aubrey, The Role of Subject Knowledge in the Early Years of Schooling, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN:

     Clearly, from the attention given to it, HMI believed that history should be part of the infant curriculum.

2. (figurative, of a river) small, being near its source.
   • 1957 October, William J. Skillern, “The Brynmawr & Western Valleys Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 696:

     Leaving Nantyglo, a small station at an altitude of 1,030 ft. with the platform on the eastern side, the train runs northwards over former G.W.R. metals, with the infant River Ebbw, a little more than a yard wide, on the west.

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.
   • 1641 May, John Milton, Of Reformation Touching Church-Discipline in England: And the Causes that hitherto have Hindred it. […], [London]: […] Thomas Vnderhill, →OCLC:

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

See also

• neonate
• newborn
• sudden infant death syndrome

Anagrams

• Fintan

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin īnfantem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [iɱˈfan]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [iɱˈfant]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

Noun

infant m (plural infants)

1. infant, child
2. infante
3. footsoldier

Derived terms

• infanteria
• infantesa

Related terms

• infància

Further reading

• “infant”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Czech

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish infante, from Latin īnfāns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɪnfant]
• Hyphenation: in‧fant

Noun

infant m anim (female equivalent infantka)

1. (historical) infante (son of the king of Spain or Portugal)

Declension

Declension of infant (hard masculine animate)

	singular	plural
nominative	infant	infanti
genitive	infanta	infantů
dative	infantovi, infantu	infantům
accusative	infanta	infanty
vocative	infante	infanti
locative	infantovi, infantu	infantech
instrumental	infantem	infanty

Further reading

• “infant”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “infant”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
• “infant”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2026

French

Noun

infant m (plural infants, feminine infante)

1. infant (title)

Further reading

• “infant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Middle English

Noun

infant

1. alternative form of infaunt

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish infante and Portuguese infante, from Latin īnfāns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈin.fant/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -infant
• Syllabification: in‧fant

Noun

infant m pers (female equivalent infantka)

1. infante

Declension

Declension of infant

	singular	plural
nominative	infant	infanci/infanty (deprecative)
genitive	infanta	infantów
dative	infantowi	infantom
accusative	infanta	infantów
instrumental	infantem	infantami
locative	infancie	infantach
vocative	infancie	infanci

Further reading

• infant in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• infant in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Slovak

Etymology

Derived from Spanish infante and Portuguese infante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /infant/, (high register) [ˈinfant], (common) [ˈiɱfant]
• Rhymes: -infant
• Hyphenation: in‧fant

Noun

infant m pers (female equivalent infantka)

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

Declension

Declension of infant
(pattern chlap)

	singular	plural
nominative	infant	infanti
genitive	infanta	infantov
dative	infantovi	infantom
accusative	infanta	infantov
locative	infantovi	infantoch
instrumental	infantom	infantmi

Further reading

• “infant”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026