childhood

[chahyld-hood]

noun

1. the state or period of being a child.

   Synonyms: girlhood, boyhood, youth

2. the early stage in the existence of something.

   the childhood of the human race.

childhood

/ ˈtʃaɪldhʊd /

noun

1. the condition of being a child; the period of life before puberty

Other Word Forms

• prechildhood noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of childhood¹

before 950; Middle English childhode, Old English cildhād. See child, -hood

Example Sentences

In my childhood neighborhood there were seven Bobs within six houses of each other.

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Doctors warn that even delaying the vaccine by a few months would lead to more childhood cases and, ultimately, deaths.

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The panel was acting based on “predetermined ideology,” not science, said Crawford, a past president of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners who specializes in treating childhood seizures.

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Both are emblems of his childhood, he says, describing a time of “total love and sun and just uninhibited joy.”

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The Nazi occupation was only one of many reasons his childhood was not a happy one, although his mother and certain teachers recognized his musical abilities early and tried to help as they could.

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