English▸ noun
(plural babies)
1 a very young child, especially one newly or recently born:
his wife's just had a baby
[as modifier] a baby girl.
▪ a young or newly born animal:
bats only have one baby a year
[as modifier] baby rabbits.
▪ the youngest member of a family or group:
Clara was the baby of the family.
▪ a timid or childish person:
“Don't be such a baby!” she said witheringly.
▪ (one's baby) informal one's particular responsibility, achievement, or concern:
“This is your baby, Gerry,” she said, handing him the brief.
2 informal a young woman or a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship (often as a form of address):
my baby left me for another guy
baby, don't cry!
▪ a thing regarded with affection or familiarity:
this baby can reach speeds of 140 mph.
▸ adjective [attributive] comparatively small or immature of its kind:
a baby grand piano.
▪ (of vegetables) picked before reaching their usual size:
baby carrots.
▸ verb
(babies, babying, babied)
[with object] treat (someone) as a baby; pamper or be overprotective toward: her aunt babied her and fussed over her clothes.
– ORIGIN late Middle English : probably imitative of an infant's first attempts at speech.