Toddler

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈtɑdlɚ/

Definitions

1. A young child who is learning to walk and is typically between the ages of one and three years old
2. A small child, usually aged one to three years, who is in the developmental stage of learning to walk and communicate
3. A child in the early stages of walking and speech, generally ranging from one to three years of age

Etymology: "Toddler" is built from "toddle," meaning to walk with short, unsteady steps, plus the suffix "-er," which marks a person or thing that performs an action. A toddler is, literally, one who toddles. The suffix arrived through Middle English, descending from the Old English "-ere," which itself came from Latin "-arius" by way of Old French. The verb "toddle" is the more mysterious half. It is probably related to "totter," which shares the sense of shaky, uncertain movement, though the exact connection between the two verbs is uncertain. Either way, the image is the same: a small body wobbling forward before it has learned to stride. The meaning narrowed over time. "Toddler" describes a child who is just starting to walk, typically well under the age of three, but the word itself says nothing about age, only about the unsteady gait that marks that stage of life.

Synonyms: infant, youngster, child