enfant
French
Etymology
From Middle French enfant, from Old French enfant/enfes, from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/
Audio (France, Paris) (file) - Homophone: enfants
- Rhymes: -ɑ̃
Noun
enfant m or f by sense (plural enfants)
- child (someone who is not yet an adult)
- child (offspring of any age)
- son, native (of a place)
- enfant de Paris ― Paris native
- enfant des États-Unis ― native of the United States
- enfant du pays ― native of the country
Usage notes
Rarely used as a feminine noun.
Derived terms
- bon enfant
- enfant chéri
- enfant de chœur
- enfant de pute
- enfanter
- enfant gâté
- enfantin
- enfant prodige
- enfant sauvage
- enfant soldat
- enfant terrible
- enfant trouvé
- enfant unique
- ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants
- innocent comme l'enfant qui vient de naître
- jardin d'enfants
Related terms
- enfance
- enfantillage
- infantile
Descendants
- Saint Dominican Creole French: z'enfant
See also
- fille
- garçon
Further reading
- “enfant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Etymology
From Old French enfant.
Noun
enfant m (plural enfanz)
- child
Descendants
- French: enfant
Occitan
Alternative forms
- enfan
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem.
Noun
enfant m (plural enfants)
- child
Related terms
- enfantet
Old French
Alternative forms
- anfant
- infant (10th century)
Etymology
Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāntem, accusative singular of īnfāns. The nominative form enfes derives from the Latin nominative form īnfāns.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (early) /ẽnˈfãnt/, (late) /ãnˈfãnt/ (after lowering of nasalized vowels)
Noun
enfant m (oblique plural enfanz, nominative singular enfes, nominative plural enfant)
- child
- 13th century, Herman de Valenciennes, Assomption Nostre Dame, page 8, column 1, line 28:
- totes les puceles & trestuit li enfant
- All the young women and all the children
-
Related terms
- enfance
Descendants
- Middle French: enfant
- French: enfant