BABY

I. noun (plural babies) Etymology: Middle English, from babe Date: 14th century 1. a. an extremely young child, an extremely young animal, the youngest of a group, 2. one that is like a ~ (as in behavior), something that is one's special responsibility, achievement, or interest, 3. slang girl , woman , boy , man , person , thing , ~hood noun ~ish adjective II. adjective Date: 1591 of, relating to, or being a ~, much smaller than the usual , III. transitive verb (babied; ~ing) Date: 1742 to tend to indulge with often excessive or inappropriate care and solicitude , to use or treat with care , see: indulge