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childhood definition

child·hood (c̸hīld′ho̵od′)

noun

  1. the state or time of being a child; esp., the period from infancy to puberty
  2. an early stage of development

Etymology: ME childhod < OE cildhad: see child & -hood

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical childhood definition - medical

childhood Synonyms

childhood

n.

infancy, youth, minority, pupilage, juvenility, juniority, school days, adolescence, nonage, nursery days, babyhood, the cradle, boyhood, girlhood, teens, puberty, immaturity, tender age, early years, growing years, pubescence; see also youth 1.

Antonyms maturity*, adulthood, declining years.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

childhood Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • traumatic: People wonder if he had a traumatic childhood, or harbors a deep inner pain, but he says he doesn't.

Converse of object

  • survive: He was the only one of their eleven children not to survive childhood.

Preposition: into

  • adulthood: They assessed ecstasy use in 1580 individuals from childhood into adulthood.

Modifies a noun

  • obesity: More Childhood obesity measurements in schools could do more harm than good, warn researchers.

Possessives

  • daughter: GUY SHERWIN MESSAGES UK, 1981-3, silent, B&W, 35 mins, 16mm Made during my daughter's early childhood.
childhood usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

childhood quotes

No poet is ever completely lost. He has the secret of his childhood safe with him, like some secret cave in which he can kneel. And, when we read his poetry, we can join him there.

-Ackroyd, Peter

Old age is second childhood.

-Aristophanes

  Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells And sights, before the dark of reason grows.

-Betjeman, SirJohn

childhood quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"childhood." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/childhood>

APA Style

childhood. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/childhood

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