infant
infant — noun
1. a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or tal
a child during the earliest months or years of life, before they can walk or talk comfortably
Asher's infant slept through the night for the first time at three months old.
possessive + infant: family relationship context
The hospital's infant care unit has a separate room for premature babies.
collocation: infant care / infant unit
Apinya held the crying infant gently in her arms and began to rock her.
The study tracked the development of two hundred infants from birth to age two.
An infant who cannot yet sit up should always sleep on their back.
- adult
a fully grown person
文法句型
infant + verb (singular/plural)
用法筆記
In everyday conversation, 'baby' is much more common than 'infant'. 'Infant' is the usual term in medical, legal, and formal contexts.
常見錯誤
2. a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged f
a child attending the first stage of primary school in the UK, for pupils aged four to seven
Rafael's daughter started as an infant at the village school last September.
British: 'an infant' as countable student
The infants at Green Lane Primary School wore bright yellow hats in the playground.
plural 'the infants' for the whole group
Each infant in the class was given a small seed pot to take home.
Mrs. Okafor read a story to a circle of infants sitting cross-legged on the carpet.
- junior
a child in the junior school (ages 7–11), the next stage after infant school in the UK
文法句型
the infants (plural, refers to the group)
用法筆記
Only used in British English education contexts. The word 'infant' by itself (without 'school') can refer to a pupil in the infant years — usually used in the plural ('the infants') to mean the whole group of children in that age band.
常見錯誤
3. used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven
used as part of the name of a UK primary school for children aged four to seven — this is a cross-reference to the separate entry for 'infant school'
St. Mark's Infant School is holding a parents' evening next Tuesday.
proper name: Infant School as part of the institution's title
Liang enrolled at Riverside Infant School when he turned four.
The head teacher of Merton Infant School retired last term after twenty years.
Kemi's older brother goes to the junior school next door to Park View Infant School.
文法句型
part of compound noun: infant school
用法筆記
This is a cross-reference item. For a full explanation, see the separate entry for 'infant school'.
infant — adjective
1. relating to the earliest level of primary education in the UK, designed for chil
relating to the earliest level of primary education in the UK, designed for children between four and seven years old
Astrid's parents chose the infant school because of its small class sizes.
attributive: infant school
The infant department at Westbrook Primary has three large classrooms.
attributive: infant department
Teachers in the infant phase receive special training in early reading skills.
Sofia taught in an infant class for eight years before moving to a junior school.
- junior
referring to the next stage of UK primary school, for ages 7–11
文法句型
infant + noun (infant school, infant class, infant department)
用法筆記
This adjective form is used only before a noun (attributive position). It is specific to the British education system and is rarely encountered outside the UK.