Cild

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic Old English word for a young human being or offspring ; a young nobleman or attendant serving a lord in Anglo-Saxon England
2. Old English term for a small human or infant ; in early Anglo-Saxon England, a youth of noble birth who served a lord
3. A historical spelling meaning a young person or offspring ; a noble youth or follower of a lord in early English society

Etymology: Before it meant a young human being, Old English "cild" could refer to an unborn or newly born infant, and the older sense survives in the word's history. Its plural was "cild" as well, until a plural ending "-ru" arose, giving "cildru." That "-ru" was later joined by the "-en" plural, so modern "children" carries two plural markers at once, much as "oxen" does. Traces of the old ending remain in the spelling of the word's earlier forms. Medieval English also used "childe" as a title for a young man of noble birth who was awaiting knighthood, a usage kept alive in the ballad "Childe Roland."