A very young human being, from birth to somewhere between six months and two years of age, needing almost constant care and/or attention.
"The new mother struggled to keep up as her infant cried every time she tried to take a shower alone."
In plain English: An infant is a very young baby who has just been born and cannot take care of themselves yet.
"The infant slept peacefully in the mother's arms."
Usage: Use "infant" to refer specifically to a human baby under the age of one who requires constant care. Do not use it for newborns in general or as a synonym for "child" when referring to older toddlers.
To bear or bring forth (a child); to produce, in general.
"The mother was so relieved that she finally did not have a difficult time to give birth after months of worry."
In plain English: There is no verb form of the word infant because it is only used as a noun to describe a very young baby.
"No adult can infant an animal, but you might hear someone say they are trying to infant their child by overprotecting them."
Usage: Infant is not used as a verb; you cannot say someone "infants" a child. The correct term for bearing a child is to give birth or deliver.
The word infant comes from the Latin infans, which literally means "unable to speak." It entered English through Middle English and French, carrying its original sense of a child who has not yet learned to talk.