Where does “childhood” come from?
Childhood comes from Middle English childhod, from Old English ċildhād, a compound of ċild (child) and hād (state or condition).
childhood (English): The state of being a child; The time during which...
Definitions
- The state of being a child; The time during which...
Ancestry of “childhood”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | childhode | The time during which one is a child; childhood;... |
| 2 | Old English | ċildhād | childhood |
| 3 | Old English | hād | person, individual, character, individuality;... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *haidu | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | haiduz | manner, way; personality, character; appearance |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kayt- | — |