baby
/ˈbeɪ.bi/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.26 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
noun
A very young human, particularly from birth to a couple of years old or until walking is fully mastered.
noun
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.
noun
A person who is new to or inexperienced in something.
noun
A person's romantic partner; a term of endearment used to refer to or address e.g. one's girlfriend, boyfriend, or spouse.
Example Sentences
- "The baby 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:’ […]"
- "In that film, I often hid my head in my hands, unable to watch scenes about dead babies and diving into gruesome lavatories."
- "When is your baby due?"
- "Her baby had always been active, even before he was born, when he would kick her bladder."
- "Karen went to England to have her baby several months before he was born so he would have the medication she needed before the baby was born and she wanted the doctors she was used to when she lived there. It would be cheaper to have the baby in England. Karen named the baby Bill Joseph […] He laughed a lot and loved his bath which he took in a plastic baby tub."
- "Stand up for yourself – don't be such a baby!"
Etymology
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).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbeɪ.bi/
- British English: /ˈbeɪ.bi/