ˈchīldˌhu̇d noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English childhod, from Old English cildhād, from cild child + -hād -hood
1. : the period of being a child
a happy childhood but an adulthood fraught with troubles
2. : the quality or state of being a child
the ignorance and infirmities of childhood stand in need of restraint and correction — John Locke
reach manhood without having experienced childhood
experience the bonds of childhood and parental love
3. : children
a toy designed to appeal to childhood
4. : the early period in the development of something
there was a childhood of religion as there was a childhood of science — Times Literary Supplement
industrial hygiene in America had an uneasy childhood — Victor Robinson