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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

baby.

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

4 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈbeɪ.bi/General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˈbɛj.bɪj/British, Southern, Standard/ˈbæɪ.bi/Australia, New-Zealand/ˈbeːbi/Wales
  1. A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.

  2. A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered. A very young human, even if not yet born.

    When is your baby due?
    Her baby had always been active, even before he was born, when he would kick her bladder.
  3. 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.

  4. A person who is immature, infantile, or feeble.

    Stand up for yourself – don't be such a baby!
  5. A person who is new to or inexperienced in something.

    I only qualified as an architect this summer, so I'm still a baby.
  6. The lastborn of a family; the youngest sibling, irrespective of age.

    Adam is the baby of the family.
  7. A person's romantic partner; a term of endearment used to refer to or address e.g. one's girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse.

    Too busy thinking about my baby, and I ain't got time for nothing else.
    Baby, don't cry.
  8. A form of address to a person considered to be attractive.

    informal
    Hey baby, what are you doing later?
  9. A thing that is comparatively small of its kind.

  10. A concept or creation endeared by its creator.

    This test program I've designed is my new baby.
  11. A pet project or responsibility.

    You need to talk to John about that – it's his baby.
  12. An affectionate term for anything.

    See my new car here? I can't wait to take this baby for a drive.
  13. A small image of an infant; a doll.

    archaic
  14. One who is new to an identity or community.

    attributive · often
    baby queer; baby trans
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-redup. Proto-Germanic *babô Proto-West Germanic *babō Old English *baba Middle English babe Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y Middle English baby English baby 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).

adj/ˈbeɪ.bi/General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˈbɛj.bɪj/British, Southern, Standard/ˈbæɪ.bi/Australia, New-Zealand/ˈbeːbi/Wales
  1. Picked when small and immature (as in baby corn, baby potatoes).

    usually
  2. Newest (overall, or in some group or state); most inexperienced.

  3. Like or pertaining to a baby, in size or youth; small, young.

Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-redup. Proto-Germanic *babô Proto-West Germanic *babō Old English *baba Middle English babe Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y Middle English baby English baby 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).

verb/ˈbeɪ.bi/General-American, Received-Pronunciation/ˈbɛj.bɪj/British, Southern, Standard/ˈbæɪ.bi/Australia, New-Zealand/ˈbeːbi/Wales
  1. To coddle; to pamper somebody like an infant.

    transitive
  2. To tend (something) with care; to be overly attentive to (something), fuss over.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-redup. Proto-Germanic *babô Proto-West Germanic *babō Old English *baba Middle English babe Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y Middle English baby English baby 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).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.