Kid Meaning
/ˈkɪd/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA child, adolescent, or (loosely) a young adult.
nounA child, adolescent, or (loosely) a young adult., A person whose childhood took place in a particular time period or area.
Sentence Examples
We had a kid just last year.
Say, he is no more than a kid.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Every afternoon, the little ____ runs to the playground after school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She is just a small ____, and she still needs her parents to help her with many basic tasks today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English kide, from Old Norse kið (“young goat”), from Proto-Germanic *kidją, *kittīną (“goatling, kid”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *gʰaydn-, *ǵʰaydn- (“goat”) or Proto-Indo-European *gidʰ- (“kid, goatling, little goat”). Compare Swedish and Danish kid, German Kitz and Kitze, Albanian kedh and kec. The sense of child has been in use since the 1590s as slang, and since the 1840s in informal use.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"“So you’ve got the kid,” said Sikes, when they had all reached the room: closing the door as he spoke. ¶ “Yes, here he is,” replied Nancy. ¶ “Did he come quiet?” inquired Sikes. ¶ “Like a lamb,” rejoined Nancy."
— 1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], “Wherein Oliver Is Delivered over to Mr. William Sikes”, in Oliver Twist; […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 12:
"I said, “I’ll send the first sane soul I meet to keep you company.” As luck would have it, I never met one,—only kids, and a baker, who wouldn’t leave his cart, or take it with him either."
— 1897 March 13 – June 19, Richard Marsh [pseudonym; Richard Bernard Heldmann], “What the Tidings Were”, in The Beetle (The Adelphi Library; 4), London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, […], published 1920, →OCLC, book IV (In Pursuit), page 269:
""I should never dream of calling a kid like you a woman," said Digory loftily."
— 1955, C[live] S[taples] Lewis, The Magician’s Nephew, London: The Bodley Head, →OCLC:
"‘No,’ said Luke, grinning at her. ‘You’re not dull enough! […] What about the kid’s clothes? I don’t suppose they were anything to write home about, but didn’t you keep anything? A bootee or a bit of embroidery or anything at all?’"
— 1963, Margery Allingham, “The Beanspiller”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC, page 186:
"Our kids are why all of you are in this room today. Our kids are why you wake up wondering how you'll make a difference and go to bed thinking about tomorrow's lesson plan. Our kids are why you walk into that classroom every day even when you're not getting the support, or the pay, or the respect that you deserve - because you believe that every child should have a chance to succeed; that every child can be taught."
— 2007 July 5, Barack Obama, Remarks of Senator Barack Obama to the National Education Association Annual Meeting:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Every afternoon, the little ____ runs to the playground after school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She is just a small ____, and she still needs her parents to help her with many basic tasks today.