*hild*

n.; pl. Children [ AS. cild, pl. cildru; cf. Goth. kilþei womb, in-kilþō with child. ] 1. A son or a daughter; a male or female descendant, in the first degree; the immediate progeny of human parents; -- in law, legitimate offspring. Used also of animals and plants. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A descendant, however remote; -- used esp. in the plural; as, the children of Israel; the children of Edom. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. One who, by character of practice, shows signs of relationship to, or of the influence of, another; one closely connected with a place, occupation, character, etc.; as, a child of God; a child of the devil; a child of disobedience; a child of toil; a child of the people. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A noble youth. See Childe. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. A young person of either sex. esp. one between infancy and youth; hence, one who exhibits the characteristics of a very young person, as innocence, obedience, trustfulness, limited understanding, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

When I was child. I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 1. Cor. xii. 11. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. A female infant. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

A boy or a child, I wonder? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be with child, to be pregnant. --
Child's play, light work; a trifling contest. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Childed; p. pr. & vb. n. Childing. ] To give birth; to produce young. [ 1913 Webster ]

This queen Genissa childing died. Warner. [ 1913 Webster ]

It chanced within two days they childed both. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of producing or bringing forth children; parturition. Milton. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of a woman bringing forth a child, or being in labor; parturition. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of bringing forth a child; travail; labor. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) The crowing noise made by children affected with spasm of the laryngeal muscles; false croup. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A cognomen formerly prefixed to his name by the oldest son, until he succeeded to his ancestral titles, or was knighted; as, Childe Roland. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with a child. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ AS. cildamæsse-dæg; cild child +dæg day. ] (Eccl.) A day (December 28) observed by mass or festival in commemoration of the children slain by Herod at Bethlehem; -- called also Holy Innocent's Day. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. cildhād; cild child + -hād. See Child, and -hood. ] 1. The state of being a child; the time in which persons are children; the condition or time from infancy to puberty. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have walked before you from my childhood. 1. Sam. xii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Children, taken collectively. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The well-governed childhood of this realm. Sir. W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The commencement; the first period. [ 1913 Webster ]

The childhood of our joy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Second childhood, the state of being feeble and incapable from old age. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ See Child, v. i. ] Bearing Children; (Fig.) productive; fruitful. [ R. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Of, pertaining to, befitting, or resembling, a child. “Childish innocence.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Puerile; trifling; weak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Methinks that simplicity in her countenance is rather childish than innocent. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Childish, as applied to persons who are grown up, is in a disparaging sense; as, a childish temper. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In the manner of a child; in a trifling way; in a weak or foolish manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or quality of being childish; simplicity; harmlessness; weakness of intellect. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Destitute of chidren or offspring. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being childless. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Resembling a child, or that which belongs to children; becoming a child; meek; submissive; dutiful. “Childlike obedience.” Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Childlike, as applied to persons grown up, is commonly in a good sense; as, childlike grace or simplicity; childlike modesty. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the character of a child; belonging, or appropriate, to a child. Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. Like a child. Mrs. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The manner characteristic of a child. [ Obs. ] “Varying childness.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. of Child. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state or relation of being a child. [ 1913 Webster ]

. A scientific study of children, undertaken for the purpose of discovering the laws of development of the body and the mind from birth to manhood. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A child not raised in the company of humans; a child raised by wild animals. Romulus and Remus in Roman mythology were feral children. Authenticated examples of children raised by beasts are rare or nonexistent, though there are stories of children being raised from infancy in isolation from adults, or in the presence of deaf and dumb adults, resulting in an inability to speak human language. [ PJC ]

n. One for whom a person becomes sponsor at baptism, and whom he promises to see educated as a Christian; a godson or goddaughter. See Godfather. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A son's or daughter's child; a child in the second degree of descent. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The child of one's grandson or granddaughter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prob. a corruption of hindling, dim. of hind, adj. Cf. Prov. E. hilderling, hinderling. See Hinderling. ] A base, menial wretch. -- a. Base; spiritless. [ Obs. ] Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A child who frequently spends part of the day at home without adult supervision, especially a school child who returns home before the parent(s) return from work. Called also door-key child. [ PJC ]

n. A child who is fair of face; -- a reference to a nineteenth century poem. See below. [ PJC ]

Monday's child is fair of face,
Tuesday's child is full of grace,
Wednesday's child is full of woe,
Thursday's child has far to go,
Friday's child is loving and giving,
Saturday's child works hard for a living,
But the child who is born on the Sabbath day,
Is lucky and happy and good and gay. [ PJC ]

n. [ AS. steópcild. ] 1. A bereaved child; one who has lost father or mother. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A son or daughter of one's wife or husband by a former marriage. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ 1st pref. un- + child. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To bereave of children; to make childless. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make unlike a child; to divest of the characteristics of a child. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]