babyhood Definition

baby
noun babies

1. A newborn or very young child or animal.

Thesaurus: child, infant, toddler, babe, cherub, brat, rug rat (US slang), little shaver (slang).
2. An unborn child.
3. The youngest member of a group.
4. derog
A childish person.
5. colloq
A person's own particular project, responsibility, etc.
(especially N Amer)
6. colloq
A term of affection for a girl or woman.

verb

babies, babied, babying
1. To treat someone as a baby.

Thesaurus: spoil, pamper, coddle, indulge, cosset, pander to, spoon-feed.

Derivative: babyhood
noun

Derivative: babyish
adj

derog
Childish; immature.
Thesaurus: childish, immature, infantile, spoiled, juvenile, naive, foolish, silly, jejune, puerile; Antonym: mature, precocious.

Derivative: babyishly
adverb

Idiom: be left holding the baby

colloq
To be left with the responsibility for something.

Idiom: throw the baby out with the bathwater

colloq
To give up or throw away the important part of something when getting rid of an unwanted part.

Etymology: 14c: probably imitating the sound a baby makes.