infant Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
    baby; babe.
    • the baby began to cry again
    • she held the baby in her arms
    • it sounds simple, but when you have your own baby it is all so different

WordNet

In"fant noun
Etymology
L. infans; pref. in- not +fari to speak: cf. F. enfant, whence OE. enfaunt. See Fame, and cf. Infante, Infanta.
Definitions
  1. A child in the first period of life, beginning at his birth; a young babe; sometimes, a child several years of age.
    And tender cries of infants pierce the ear. C. Pitt.
  2. (Law) A person who is not of full age, or who has not attained the age of legal capacity; a person under the age of twenty-one years; a minor. ✍ An infant under seven years of age is not penally responsible; between seven and fourteen years of age, he may be convicted of a malicious offense if malice be proved. He becomes of age on the day preceding his twenty-first birthday, previous to which time an infant has no capacity to contract.
  3. Same as Infante. Obs. Spenser.
In"fant adjective
Definitions
  1. Of or pertaining to infancy, or the first period of life; tender; not mature; as, infant strength.
  2. Intended for young children; as, an infant school.
In"fant transitive verb
Etymology
Cf. F. enfanter.
Definitions
  1. To bear or bring forth, as a child; hence, to produce, in general. Obs.
    This worthy motto, "No bishop, no king," is . . . infanted out of the same fears. Milton.

Webster 1913