baby
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: bā'bē
ipa: /ˈbeɪ̯.bi/
rhymes: -eɪbi
Forms: form: babier
form: babyer
form: baby-er
form: babiest
form: babyest
form: baby-est
Etymology: From Middle English baby, babie (“baby”), a diminutive form of babe (“babe, baby”), equivalent to babe + -y/-ie (“endearing and diminutive suffix”). Perhaps ultimately imitative of baby talk (compare babble).
Senses: glosses: Picked when small and immature (as in baby corn, baby potatoes).
raw_tags: of vegetables
examples: text: Mrs. Paull held out her hand to the babyest of the quartette, as they tiptoed up to the bed. “Lift her up, please, Marie!” she said, motioning to the place enclosed by her arm. When the rosy cheek touched hers upon the pillow, she asked ...
ref: 1894, Marion Harland, The Royal Road, Or, Taking Him at His Word, page 136:
text: That evening, we grouped about the fire in the parlor, a wide circle that left room for the babyest of the party to disport themselves upon the rug, in the glow of the grate piled with cannel coal.
ref: 1910, Marion Harland, Marion Harland's Autobiography: The Story of a Long Life, page 408:
text: Of when I was a baby editor. Very baby, it was actually a kind of work experience, I was still at university but I knew what I wanted. With a small independent publisher, good reputation, did some marvellous books, […]
ref: 2006, Marion Halligan, The Apricot Colonel, Allen & Unwin, →ISBN:
text: […] party for Halloween proper? Just the four of us and some goofy, spooky kids' movies, you know? Some cute pumpkin-shaped cupcakes? I could make my dog a little costume. He could be a baby witch. The babyest Scapegracer.” I blinked.
ref: 2020, Hannah Abigail Clarke, The Scapegracers, Erewhon, →ISBN, page 391:
glosses: Newest (overall, or in some group or state); most inexperienced.
examples: text: Spider. Here let us begin at the beginning, at the babyest of books for Edith's nursery.
ref: 1888, Monthly Packet, page 170:
text: She let it drop out of her sleeve, and it was two Chings — the dearest, littlest, babyest, tiny Chings — little balls of fur! And she ran away, and daddy's father picked them up, and put them in his pockets, and brought them home, […]
ref: 1894, Edith E. Cuthell, Two Little Children and Ching, page 107:
text: Lemon-juice for ink spots: Not many weeks ago the babyest member of our household - perhaps moved by a hereditary tendency toward ink - slinging - divided the contents of an ink bottle impartially between the tiles of the bath-room floor ...
ref: 1908, Marion Harland, Housekeeper's Guide and Family Physician, page 98:
text: "There's a babier baby than Mike," she said. "But you will see her to-morrow. Aren't we rich? Come in and see Matilda - you won't find her much changed. It's so absurd to see her with all these children."
ref: 1908, Mary Findlater, Jane Helen Findlater, Crossriggs, page 25:
text: Now, we all believe in national defense, but we also believe in peacetime activity, and my personal idea about aviation is that it is still in its absolute “babyest” type of infancy, that it is nothing even approaching what it will be even 10 years [from now].
ref: 1936, United States. Congress. House. Committee on Military Affairs, To Promote the National Defense by Stengthening the Air Reserve, Hearings ..., on H.R. 4348, 12241, Feb 27, April 22, 1936, page 31:
text: A doll show held the attention of children at Allen as a special feature during the week. Winners were:[…]baby-est doll, Betty McQueary.
ref: 1937 August 7, “Recreation Activities in City Attain New Peak in Past Week”, in The State Journal, eighty-third year, Lansing, Mich., section “Doll Show at Allen”, page 2, column 7:
text: He’ll [Joseph H. Ball] be our baby senator for the next two years. Senator Rush D. Holt of West Virginia will be his baby rival briefly, but Rush is a lame duck. He’ll be out of the picture at the end of the year and Joe will be the baby-est of them all.
ref: 1940 October 22, Charles P. Stewart, “Washington At A Glance”, in The Evening Independent, volume LXXIV, number 130, Massillon, Oh., page five, column 2:
text: The victorious individuals were as follows: Doll Contest—[…]“baby-est,” 1st, Mary Grew, 2nd, Susan Shamlian;
ref: 1960 August 4, Herb Smith, “Recreation In Cedar Grove”, in Verona-Cedar Grove Times, volume XII, number 31, Verona, N.J., page 26, column 2:
text: One of them, Allure Potemkin (and don’t you wish that was your name?), hikes up her slip and does a riotous dance number called Baby Legs. Leona Brausen, whose own dimpled gams — “baby-er than ever” as she says — inspired the role, is back onstage Saturday to dance the dance for the last time.
ref: 2007 August 2, Liz Nicholls, “Gala to mark Teatro’s entry into the quarter-century club”, in Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta., page D3, column 1:
glosses: Like or pertaining to a baby, in size or youth; small, young.
raw_tags: in the comparative or superlative