neonate

American  

[nee-uh-neyt] / ˈni əˌneɪt /

noun

1. a newborn child, or one in their first 28 days.

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neonate British  

/ ˈniːəʊˌneɪt /

noun

1. a newborn child, esp in the first week of life and up to four weeks old

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Etymology

Origin of neonate

First recorded in 1930–35; neo- + -nate from Latin nātus “born”; native

Explanation

A neonate is a newborn baby. New parents are usually excited and a little nervous to bring their neonate home from the hospital. Use the noun neonate when you need a medical term for a tiny baby, specifically one that's younger than a month old. Hospitals have neonate units and neonate nurses, and what a doctor might refer to as a neonate, you'd probably just call an infant or a baby. Neonate combines the Greek prefix neo, or "new," and the Latin natus, "born."

Example Sentences

The likelihood that any fetus will survive outside the uterus as a neonate is an estimate based on many factors.

From Scientific American • May 4, 2022

When we are very early in development, either as a fetus or maybe as a neonate, it’s probably about developing certain pathways that are responsible for consciousness.

From The Verge • Jul. 23, 2019

“Not even in my worst nightmare as an epidemiologist had I imagined a microcephaly neonate epidemic,” she says.

From Nature • Dec. 18, 2016

HIV may similarly be brought to heel, if not as easily as neonate mortality.

From Time • Jan. 22, 2015

Of iguanas and dinosaurs: social behavior and communication in neonate reptiles.

From Scientific American • Sep. 17, 2012