infant
\in"fant\ (?), n. [l. infans; pref. in- not + fari to speak: cf. f. enfant, whence oe. enfaunt. see fame, and cf. infante, infanta.]
1. a child in the first period of life, beginning at his birth; a young babe; sometimes, a child several years of age. and tender cries of infants pierce the ear. pitt.
2. (law) a person who is not of full age, or who has not attained the age of legal capacity; a person under the age of twenty-one years; a minor.
note: an infant under seven years of age is not penally responsible; between seven and fourteen years of age, he may be convicted of a malicious offense if malice be proved. he becomes of age on the day preceding his twenty-first birthday, previous to which time an infant has no capacity to contract.
3. same as infante. [obs.]
infant
\in"fant\ (?), a. 1. of or pertaining to infancy, or the first period of life; tender; not mature; as, infant strength.
2. intended for young children; as, an infant school.
infant
\in"fant\, v. t. [cf. f. enfanter.] to bear or bring forth, as a child; hence, to produce, in general. [obs.] this worthy motto, "no bishop, no king," is infanted out of the same fears.
similar words(11)