Child
/tʃaɪld/noun
A young human being; a son or daughter.
Did you know?In Old English, *cild* could mean not only a child but also a fetus or unborn baby, showing how early English treated life stages with a much wider, older meaning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵenh₁-
“to beget, give birth, produce”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kiltham
“womb, fetus, child”
Old English
OE
cild
“child; fetus; unborn or young person”
Middle English
ME
child
“a young person, especially a son or daughter”
Modern English
English
child
“a young human being; a son or daughter”