Weaners

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Young animals that have recently been separated from their mother's milk and are transitioning to solid food
2. Offspring typically raised on a diet that excludes breastfeeding, marking a stage in development
3. Animals, particularly pigs or other livestock, that are in the process of being trained to eat independently from their mothers

Etymology: "Weaners" is the plural of "weaner," a young animal recently separated from its mother's milk, most often a piglet or lamb. The noun comes from the verb "wean," which in Old English was "wenian," meaning to accustom someone to something. It shares a root with "wont," meaning a habit or custom, and that older sense of getting used to a new routine survives in the modern meaning.

Synonyms: infants, younglings