enfant

French

Etymology

From Middle French enfant, from Old French enfant/enfes, probably borrowed from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem, according to the Trésor de la Langue Française.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.fɑ̃/

• Audio (France, Paris):

  (file)

• Homophone: enfants
• Rhymes: -ɑ̃

Noun

enfant m or f (plural enfants)

1. child (someone who is not yet an adult)
2. child (offspring)

Usage notes

Rarely used as a feminine noun.

Derived terms

• bon enfant
• enfant de chœur
• enfant soldat
• enfant terrible
• enfant trouvé
• enfant unique
• enfanter
• enfantin

 

Related terms

• enfance

See also

• fille
• garçon

Further reading

• “enfant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

---

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French enfant.

Noun

enfant m (plural enfanz)

1. child

Descendants

• French: enfant

---

Occitan

Alternative forms

• enfan

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāns, īnfāntem.

Noun

enfant m (plural enfants)

1. child

---

Old French

Alternative forms

• anfant
• infant (10th century)

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin īnfāntem, accusative singular of īnfāns. The nominative form enfes derives from the Latin nominative form īnfāns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (early) /ɛnˈfant/, (late) /anˈfant/ (after lowering of nasalized vowels)
• IPA^(key): (early) /ˈɛn.fəs/, (late) /ˈan.fəs/

Noun

enfant oblique singular, m (oblique plural enfanz, nominative singular enfes, nominative plural enfant)

1. child
   • 13th century, Herman de Valenciennes, Assomption Nostre Dame, page 8, column 1, line 28:

     totes les puceles & trestuit li enfant

     All the young women and all the children

Related terms

• enfance

Descendants

• Middle French: enfant
  • French: enfant