Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of baby
"The hospital staff is preparing three newborn babies for their first checkups today."
In plain English: Babies are very young human children who cannot take care of themselves yet.
"The new parents are taking good care of their babies."
Usage: Use "babies" to refer to more than one young human child who is not yet able to care for themselves. Do not use this word when referring to infants in the singular, as that requires the form "baby."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of baby
"She always babies her new puppy when it gets scared of loud noises."
In plain English: To babies means to speak or act in a silly, childish way that is meant to be cute or annoying.
"He likes to babysit his younger cousins on weekends."
Usage: Do not use "babies" as a verb to mean spoiling or pampering someone; that action is correctly expressed by the verb "baby." Instead, reserve "babies" strictly for the third-person singular present tense of the noun verb "to baby," which means to treat with excessive care.
Derived from Old French babi (child) and ultimately Latin babius, this plural form originally referred to young children who are still dependent on their parents. The root likely stems from an imitative sound representing infant babbling or crying.