■ noun ( plural babies )
1》 a child or animal that is newly or recently born.
2》 a timid or childish person.
3》 informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship (often as a form of address).
■ adjective comparatively small or immature of its kind.
■ verb ( babies , ~ing , babied ) pamper or be overprotective towards.
Derivatives
~hood noun
Phrases
throw the ~ out with the bathwater discard something valuable along with other things that are undesirable.
Origin
ME: prob. imitative of an infant's first attempts at speech.