childhood

American  

[chahyld-hood] / ˈtʃaɪld hʊd /

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.

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childhood British  

/ ˈtʃaɪldhʊd /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• prechildhood noun

Etymology

Origin of childhood

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

Example Sentences

From infancy through childhood, the brain is shaped by "network consolidation."

From Science Daily

There aren’t many photos from my parents’ childhood in Vietnam, and this snapshot of my dad was marred by a scratch.

From The Wall Street Journal

During this same period, the national rate of childhood obesity nearly tripled, in many cases triggering what the author calls a “lifelong cycle of shame.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“The cunning they used to survive a hustler’s childhood,” Ms. Collinsworth observes, “had become a streak of ruthlessness in their adulthood.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Their childhood closeness would later become the foundation for a life-changing act of generosity.

From BBC