different between infant vs changeling

English

Alternative forms

• infaunt (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English infante, infaunte, borrowed from Latin ?nfantem, accusative masculine singular of ?nf?ns, nominal use of the adjective meaning 'not able to speak', from ?n- (“not”) + f?ns, present participle of for (“to speak”). The verb is from Anglo-Norman enfanter, from the same Latin source. Doublet of infante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n.f?nt/
• Rhymes: -?nf?nt

Noun

infant (plural infants)

1. A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age, needing almost constant care and/or attention.
   • Synonym: baby
2. (law) A minor.
   • 1793, William Peere Williams, Samuel Compton Cox, Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the High Court of Chancery, and of Some Special Cases Adjudged in the Court of King's Bench [1695-1735], De Term. S. Trin. 1731, page 602:

     Thomas Humphrey Doleman died the 30th of August 1712, an infant, intestate and without issue; Lewis the next nephew died the 17th of April 1716, an infant about sixteen years old, having left his mother Mary Webb, ...

3. (obsolete) A noble or aristocratic youth.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.2:

     Retourned home, the royall Infant fell / Into her former fitt [...].

Derived terms

• infant mortality
• junior infant, senior infant

Related terms

• infancy
• infanteer, infantier
• infanticide
• infantile
• infantry
• infante, infanta

Translations

Verb

infant (third-person singular simple present infants, present participle infanting, simple past and past participle infanted)

1. (obsolete) To bear or bring forth (a child); to produce, in general.

See also

• sudden infant death syndrome
• newborn
• neonate

Anagrams

• Fintan

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ?nf?ns, ?nfantem.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /im?fant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /im?fan/

Noun

infant m (plural infants)

1. infant, child
2. infante
3. footsoldier

Derived terms

• infanteria

Related terms

• infància

Further reading

• “infant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Slovak

Etymology

From Spanish infante and Portuguese infante.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?infant]

Noun

infant m (genitive singular infanta, nominative plural infanti, genitive plural infantov, declension pattern of chlap)

1. prince, infante (son of a king in Spain and, historically, in Portugal)

Declension

Derived terms

• infantka f

References

• infant in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk

English

Etymology

The noun is derived from change +? -ling (suffix with the sense ‘immature; small’). Sense 6 (“idiot, simpleton”) is from the idea that foolish children had been left by magical creatures (sense 1).

The adjective is derived from the noun.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?t?e?n(d)?l??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?t??e?nd??l??/
• Hyphenation: change?ling

Noun

changeling (plural changelings)

1. (European folklore, also figuratively) In pre-modern European folklore: an infant of a magical creature that was secretly exchanged for a human infant. In British, Irish and Scandinavian mythology the exchanged infants were thought to be those of fairies, sprites or trolls; in other places, they were ascribed to demons, devils, or witches.

   Synonyms: auf, (both obsolete) oaf
2. (by extension) A person or object (especially when regarded as inferior) secretly exchanged for something else.
3. (by extension, informal, rare) An infant secretly exchanged with another infant deliberately or by mistake; a swapling.
4. (fantasy, science fiction) An organism which can change shape to mimic others; a shape-shifter.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:shape-shifter

5. (archaic, also figuratively) A person apt to change their loyalty or thinking; a waverer.

   Synonym: turncoat
6. (obsolete) An idiot, a simpleton.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:idiot

Translations

Adjective

changeling (comparative more changeling, superlative most changeling)

1. (archaic, rare) Changeable, fickle, inconstant, wavering.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:changeable

References

Further reading

• changeling on Wikipedia.Wikipedia