Infant refers to a very young child, typically under one year old, or the early stage of life. In medical and everyday usage, it also describes something in its earliest development. The term often appears in contexts contrasting infancy with childhood, toddlerhood, or prenatal stages, and can function as a noun or adjective depending on the sentence. It carries formal connotations in scientific writing and everyday warmth in parental discussions.
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"- The infant slept through the night for the first time in weeks."
"- Pediatricians monitor infant growth to ensure healthy development."
"- In its infant stage, the seed requires careful watering and light."
"- The term infant is used in both medical records and parental guidance materials."
The word infant comes from Middle English infant, from Late Latin infans, infan't- 'not speaking', from in- 'not' + fari 'to speak'. The Latin root infans itself was used to describe a child too young to speak; it appears in medical and legal Latin texts from around the 1st century BCE onward. The sense broadened in English to denote a very young child or the earliest period of development in general. By the 14th century, infant described a baby or very young person in legal and ecclesiastical contexts; by the 17th century, it permeated medical and anthropological vocabulary as well. Across centuries, infant retained its core meaning—someone in the earliest stage of life—while the modifier infantile acquired nuance in psychology and culture. In modern usage, infant is common in medical records, parenting guidance, and formal discourse, with the adjective infantile appearing in both neutral and negative connotations. The pronunciation has settled to /ˈɪn.fənt/ in General American and /ˈɪn.fɒnt/ in British varieties, with minor regional vowel adjustments. First known use in English attested around the 13th century in law and theology texts, reflecting its long-standing role in distinguishing developmental stages.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "infant" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "infant"
-int sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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US: IPA /ˈɪn.fənt/ with stress on the first syllable. Start with a short, clipped 'in' [ɪn], then a schwa-like middle consonant 'fə' [fə], and end with a clear 'nt' [nt]. The tongue closes briefly at the alveolar ridge for the final nasal stop, and the middle vowel is relaxed. UK: /ˈɪn.fɒnt/ with a broader vowel in the second syllable; AU: /ˈɪn.fənt/ similar to US, but with slightly more open quality in the first syllable. If you’re listening, you’ll hear crisp onset and a light, quick final consonant, typical of British varieties. Audio references: Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries offer native speaker audio; you can also listen on Forvo for region-specific pronunciations to compare US/UK/AU. Practice by isolating syllables: IN - FANT, then connect them smoothly.
Common mistakes: 1) Misplacing stress on the second syllable (in-FANT) — correct: IN-fant with primary stress on IN. 2) Raising the middle vowel too high (pronouncing it as a full vowel like 'in-funt' or 'een-fant') — correct: the middle is a reduced vowel [ə], close to schwa. 3) Omitting the final [t] or letting it drift into a tap [ɾ] in rapid speech — correct: clearly release the final alveolar stop [t]. To fix: exaggerate the first syllable, practice IN + schwa (ə) + nt, and pause briefly before the final [t] to achieve crisp articulation. You’ll hear that clean first syllable and a short, unaspirated final consonant in careful speech.
US: /ˈɪn.fənt/ with a tense, short second vowel; non-rhotic tendencies are less pronounced in careful speech but final /nt/ is clear. UK: /ˈɪn.fɒnt/ often with a more open second vowel and a crisper final [t]. AU: /ˈɪn.fənt/ resembles US, but vowel qualities can be broader; final /t/ often released more strongly in casual speech. Across all, the first syllable bears primary stress; differences center on the vowel in the second syllable and the final consonant’s release. Listening to region-specific pronunciations via Pronounce, YouGlish, or Cambridge Audio will help you hear subtle shifts.
Key challenges include the short, clipped first syllable with a tense [ɪ], followed by a reduced mid-vowel [ə] or [ɒ] in the UK, and finishing with a precise alveolar nasal [n] and a released [t]. The transition from the stressed syllable to the unstressed middle can sound rushed in fast speech, and many learners misplace the stress or over-articulate the middle vowel. Focus on a clean /ˈɪn/ onset, then a light, central vowel, then a crisp /nt/ release.
Unique aspect: the initial /ɪ/ in IN is held slightly shorter and tenser than a typical 'ih' in casual speech, contrasting with the more neutral or lax vowels in some learners’ phonetic inventories. Practically, you’ll want to ground the onset with a strong, compact vowel and avoid turning the second syllable into a full vowel like 'in-fan-t' (as in 'infantile' study contexts). Use a light, quick schwa in the middle and keep the final /t/ crisp. Listening to native speech and shadowing helps cement these small, crucial differences.
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