FromMiddle Englishbaby,babie(“baby”), a diminutive form ofbabe(“babe, baby”), equivalent tobabe +‎-y/-ie(“endearing and diminutive suffix”). Perhaps ultimately imitative of baby talk (comparebabble).^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation,General American)enPR:bā'bē,IPA^(key):/ˈbeɪbi/

• Audio(Received Pronunciation):

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• Audio(General American):

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• Audio:

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• Rhymes:-eɪbi

baby (pluralbabies)

1. A veryyounghuman, particularly frombirth to a couple ofyearsold or untilwalking isfullymastered.
   • 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson],In Memoriam, London:Edward Moxon, […],→OCLC, Canto XLIV,page67:

     Thebaby new to earth and sky,
     ⁠What time his tender palm is prest
     ⁠Against the circle of the breast,
     Has never thought that ‘this is I:’[…]

   • 2017 January 19, Peter Bradshaw, “T2 Trainspotting review – choose a sequel that doesn't disappoint”, inThe Guardian‎^[1]:

     In that film, I often hid my head in my hands, unable to watch scenes about deadbabies and diving into gruesome lavatories.

2. A veryyounghuman, even if not yetborn.

   When is yourbaby due?

   Herbaby had always been active, even before he was born, when he would kick her bladder.

   • 2013 June 7, Natalie Pierce,Weaving My Way Through Life, Author House,→ISBN, page44:

     Karen went to England to have herbaby several months before he was born so he would have the medication she needed before thebaby was born and she wanted the doctors she was used to when she lived there. It would be cheaper to have thebaby in England. Karen named thebaby Bill Joseph[…] He laughed a lot and loved his bath which he took in a plasticbaby tub.

3. Any veryyounganimal, especially avertebrate; many species have specific names for their babies, such askittens for the babies ofcats,puppies for the babies ofdogs, andchicks for the babies ofbirds. SeeCategory:Baby animals for more.
4. A person who isimmature,infantile, orfeeble.

   Stand up for yourself – don't be such ababy!

5. A person who isnew to orinexperienced in something.

   I only qualified as an architect this summer, so I'm still ababy.

6. Thelastborn of afamily; theyoungestsibling,irrespective ofage.

   Adam is thebaby of the family.

   • 1895, S. R. Crockett,A Cry Across the Black Water:

     "You are very dull this morning, Sheriff," said the youngest daughter of the house, who, being thebaby and pretty, had grown pettishly privileged in speech.

   • 1930, Norman Lindsay,Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.:Ure Smith, published1965,→OCLC, page114:

     "He's a year older than me." "You're thebaby, eh?"

7. A person'sromantic partner;a term ofendearment used torefer to oraddress e.g. one'sgirlfriend,boyfriend, orspouse.

   Too busy thinking about mybaby, and I ain't got time for nothing else.

   Baby, don't cry.

   • 1956, “Heartbreak Hotel”, Mae Boren Axton, Tommy Durden, Elvis Presley (lyrics), performed byElvis Presley:

     Well, since mybaby left me,
     Well, I found a new place to dwell.
     Well, it's down at the end of Lonely Street
     At Heartbreak Hotel.

8. (informal)A form ofaddress to a personconsidered to beattractive.

   Heybaby, what are you doing later?

9. Aconcept orcreationendeared by itscreator.

   This test program I've designed is my newbaby.

10. Apetproject orresponsibility.

    You need to talk to John about that – it's hisbaby.

    • 1996,Orlando Figes,A People's Tragedy, Folio Society, published2015, page902:

      Sovnarkom was Lenin'sbaby, it was where he focused all his energies […].

11. Anaffectionate term for anything.

    See my new car here? I can't wait to take thisbaby for a drive.

12. (archaic) Asmallimage of aninfant; adoll.
13. (oftenattributive) One who isnew to anidentity orcommunity.

    baby queer;baby trans

    • 2020, Nina Kahn,The Joy of Hex: Modern Spells Without All the Bullsh*t‎^[2], unnumbered page:

      These more general spells and rituals can also be helpful forbaby witches, who might want more time to practice before they hop into highly-specific spells.

    • 2020, Jane Kolven,The Holiday Detour,unnumbered page:

      That was even worse than blurting my sexuality like I had when I was what we called a “baby dyke” in college, desperate to find other lesbians for friendship or more.

    • 2021, Yve Rees, quoted in Sam Elkin & Yve Rees, "Spilling the T",Bent Street: Australian LGBTIQA+ Arts, Writing & Ideas, Volume 5, Issue 1,unnumbered page:

      As someone who is still a 'baby trans', these collaborations have taught me so much about what it means to live outside cisnormativity.

• (young human being):babe,babby,babbie,infant, see alsoThesaurus:baby
• (young animal): seeThesaurus:youngling
• (immature or infantile person):big baby
• (term of endearment):love, see alsoThesaurus:sweetheart

• gamete,zygote,morula,blastocyst,embryo,fetus

baby (comparativebabierorbabyerorbaby-er,superlativebabiestorbabyestorbaby-est)

1. (of vegetables, etc.) Picked when small and immature (as inbaby corn,baby potatoes).
2. Newest (overall, or in some group or state); mostinexperienced.
   • 1894, Marion Harland,The Royal Road, Or, Taking Him at His Word, page136:

     Mrs. Paull held out her hand to thebabyest of the quartette, as they tiptoed up to the bed. “Lift her up, please, Marie!” she said, motioning to the place enclosed by her arm. When the rosy cheek touched hers upon the pillow, she asked ...

   • 1910, Marion Harland,Marion Harland's Autobiography: The Story of a Long Life, page408:

     That evening, we grouped about the fire in the parlor, a wide circle that left room for thebabyest of the party to disport themselves upon the rug, in the glow of the grate piled with cannel coal.

   • 2006, Marion Halligan,The Apricot Colonel, Allen & Unwin,→ISBN:

     Of when I was ababy editor. Verybaby, it was actually a kind of work experience, I was still at university but I knew what I wanted. With a small independent publisher, good reputation, did some marvellous books,[…]

   • 2020, Hannah Abigail Clarke,The Scapegracers, Erewhon,→ISBN, page391:

     […] party for Halloween proper? Just the four of us and some goofy, spooky kids' movies, you know? Some cute pumpkin-shaped cupcakes? I could make my dog a little costume. He could be a baby witch. Thebabyest Scapegracer.” I blinked.

3. (in the comparative or superlative) Like or pertaining to ababy, in size or youth; small, young.
   • 1888,Monthly Packet, page170:

     Spider. Here let us begin at the beginning, at thebabyest of books for Edith's nursery.

   • 1894, Edith E. Cuthell,Two Little Children and Ching, page107:

     She let it drop out of her sleeve, and it was two Chings — the dearest, littlest,babyest, tiny Chings — little balls of fur! And she ran away, and daddy's father picked them up, and put them in his pockets, and brought them home,[…]

   • 1908, Marion Harland,Housekeeper's Guide and Family Physician, page98:

     Lemon-juice for ink spots: Not many weeks ago thebabyest member of our household - perhaps moved by a hereditary tendency toward ink - slinging - divided the contents of an ink bottle impartially between the tiles of the bath-room floor ...

   • 1908, Mary Findlater, Jane Helen Findlater,Crossriggs, page25:

     "There's ababier baby than Mike," she said. "But you will see her to-morrow. Aren't we rich? Come in and see Matilda - you won't find her much changed. It's so absurd to see her with all these children."

   • 1936, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Military Affairs,To Promote the National Defense by Stengthening the Air Reserve, Hearings ..., on H.R. 4348, 12241, Feb 27, April 22, 1936, page31:

     Now, we all believe in national defense, but we also believe in peacetime activity, and my personal idea about aviation is that it is still in its absolute “babyest” type of infancy, that it is nothing even approaching what it will be even 10 years [from now].

   • 1937 August 7, “Recreation Activities in City Attain New Peak in Past Week”, inThe State Journal, eighty-third year, Lansing, Mich., section “Doll Show at Allen”, page 2, column 7:

     A doll show held the attention of children at Allen as a special feature during the week. Winners were:[…]baby-est doll, Betty McQueary.

   • 1940 October 22, Charles P. Stewart, “Washington At A Glance”, inThe Evening Independent, volume LXXIV, number130, Massillon, Oh., page five, column 2:

     He’ll [Joseph H. Ball] be our baby senator for the next two years. SenatorRush D. Holt of West Virginia will be his baby rival briefly, but Rush is a lame duck. He’ll be out of the picture at the end of the year and Joe will be thebaby-est of them all.

   • 1960 August 4, Herb Smith, “Recreation In Cedar Grove”, inVerona-Cedar Grove Times, volume XII, number31, Verona, N.J., page26, column 2:

     The victorious individuals were as follows: Doll Contest—[…]“baby-est,” 1st, Mary Grew, 2nd, Susan Shamlian;

   • 2007 August 2, Liz Nicholls, “Gala to mark Teatro’s entry into the quarter-century club”, inEdmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta., page D3, column 1:

     One of them, Allure Potemkin (and don’t you wish that wasyour name?), hikes up her slip and does a riotous dance number calledBaby Legs. Leona Brausen, whose own dimpled gams — “baby-er than ever” as she says — inspired the role, is back onstage Saturday to dance the dance for the last time.

• Raphael Sappan (1987)The Rhetorical-logical Classification of Semantic Changes, volume 5, page58: “Baby. In its attributive uses, the word has the meaning 'small, tiny'. In the following sentence it is a metonym, still preserving its relation to the original meaning: “There is a babier baby than M.” (in the entrybaby of the first volume of […]”

baby (third-person singular simple presentbabies,present participlebabying,simple past and past participlebabied)

1. (transitive) Tocoddle; topamper somebody like an infant.
   • 1922,Sinclair Lewis,Babbitt, New York, N.Y.:Harcourt, Brace and Company,→OCLC:

     […] though he tried to be gruff and mature, he yielded to her and was glad to bebabied.

   • 1944,Emily Carr, “Friction”, inThe House of All Sorts:

     Then the man effected measles and stayed off the job for six weeks,babying himself at home, though he lived just round the corner from my half-built house.

2. (transitive) Totend (something) withcare; to beoverlyattentive to (something),fuss over.
   • 1967 March 31, “Mr. Mac and His Team”, inTime:

     In the past 27 years, "Mr. Mac," as he is known to his 46,000 teammates, has built andbabied his McDonnell Co. from nothing into a $1 billion-a-year corporation.

   • 1912, Linda Craig, interviewed by Theresa Forte, "Tree and Twig farm — a treasure chest of heirloom tomatoes,"Welland Tribune, 25 May, 2012,[3]

     I have grown them for years and although some years are better than others, I have always had loads of tomatoes by notbabying them, going easy on the water, and fertilizing with compost in the planting hole.

English terms starting with “baby”

• babe

• child
• infant
• toddler

• Abby

Borrowed fromEnglishbaby.

baby c (singular definitebabyen,plural indefinitebabyer)

1. Ababy, aninfant.
2. (slang) Anattractiveyoungfemale.

• spædbarn

Borrowed fromEnglishbaby.

• IPA^(key):/ˈbeːbi/

• Audio:

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• Hyphenation:ba‧by

baby m (pluralbaby'sorbabies,diminutivebaby'tje n)

1. baby(infant)

   Synonym:zuigeling

• beibi,beibe

FromEnglishbaby.

• IPA^(key):/ˈbei̯bi/,[ˈbe̞i̯bi]
• IPA^(key):/ˈbei̯be/,[ˈbe̞i̯be̞]
• IPA^(key):/ˈbɑby/,[ˈbɑ̝by](rare)
• Rhymes:-eibi
• Hyphenation^(key):ba‧by

baby

1. baby(term of endearment)

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:kultanen

2. (rare outside compounds)Synonym ofvauva(“baby”)(very young human)

This spelling should preferably be used in nominative only as it does not fit into any standard inflection scheme.

• “baby”, inKielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[4] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki:Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland),2004–, retrieved2023-07-02

Borrowed fromEnglishbaby, fromMiddle Englishbaby.

• IPA^(key):/ba.bi/

• Audio:

  (file)

baby m (pluralbabys)

1. table soccer,table football
2. baby,darling,sweetheart
3. Mary Jane shoes

• “baby”, inTrésor de la langue française informatisé[Digitized Treasury of the French Language],2012.

baby

1. baby

• bebe

Unadapted borrowing fromEnglishbaby.

• IPA^(key):/ˈbɛ.bi/,(careful style)/ˈbe.bi/^[1]
• Rhymes:-ɛbi,(careful style)-ebi

baby m (invariable)

1. child,baby,neonate
2. a smallshot ofwhisky
3. tripod for a film camera

baby (invariable)

1. foruse byyoungchildren
2. veryyoung

• IPA^(key):/ˈbabɨ/

FromGermanBaby, fromEnglishbaby.

baby m anim orn

1. baby(infant)

   Synonym:góletko

As a masculine noun:

As a neuter noun, indeclinable.

See the etymology of the correspondinglemma form.

baby

1. inflection ofbaba:
   1. genitivesingular
   2. nominative/accusativeplural