baby

CEFRA1

/ˈbeɪ̯.bi/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A very young child who cannot yet walk or talk.

  2. 02

    verb

    To treat someone too gently or protectively.

Examples

  • The baby had been abandoned by its mother.

  • He's sleeping like a baby.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. 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.

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

  3. A very young human, even if not yet born.

More examples

In context

  • This baby penguin is too cute!

  • Her baby had always been active, even before he was born, when he would kick her bladder.

  • Stand up for yourself – don't be such a baby!

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The tired parents gently rocked their crying blank until he fell asleep.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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).