Preemies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A descriptor for infants delivered prior to the typical gestation period, highlighting the special care often needed for these early arrivals
2. Babies that arrive earlier than the usual pregnancy duration, often requiring additional medical attention
3. Newborns delivered before the full gestation period, sometimes needing specialized care due to early birth

Etymology: "Preemies" is the plural of "preemie," a clipped form of "premature," which is the same word as the adjective meaning "before the proper time." Its roots lie in Latin "praematurus," built from "prae," meaning "before," and "maturus," meaning "ripe" or "timely." The English noun comes from the adjective by the familiar process of trimming a word down and adding "-ie" or "-y," a suffix that has produced many affectionate informal nouns, such as "rookie" and "movie." Because the word means "ripe" too early, it originally described fruit or crops harvested before they were ready, and only later was applied to babies born before term. The plural "preemies" is the form used for more than one such infant, and it is the noun's everyday form in hospital and parenting contexts.

Synonyms: premature infants, preterm babies, NICU babies, early births, small for gestational age babies