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

The stock plunged in September after the White House linked childhood autism to the use of the drug during pregnancy.

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As populations age and fertility declines, industries that once revolved around the rhythms of childhood are reorienting toward the desires, and wallets, of adults.

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As populations age and fertility declines, industries that once revolved around the rhythms of childhood are reorienting toward the desires, and wallets, of adults.

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The stock plunged in September after the White House linked childhood autism to use of the drug during pregnancy.

Read more on Barron's

I don’t know what your childhood was like.

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