What does "infant" mean?
Infant: (Law) A person who is not of full age, or who has not attained the age of legal capacity; a person under the age of twenty-one years; a minor. Note: An infant under seven years of age is not penally responsible; between seven and fourteen years of age, he may be convicted of a malicious offense if malice be proved. He becomes of age on the day preceding his twenty-first birthday, previous to which time an infant has no capacity to contract.
Additional senses
- 2.Same as Infante. [Obs.] Spenser.
- 3.Of or pertaining to infancy, or the first period of life; tender; not mature; as, infant strength.
- 4.Intended for young children; as, an infant school.
- 5.To bear or bring forth, as a child; hence, to produce, in general. [Obs.] This worthy motto, "No bishop, no king," is . . . infanted out of the same fears. Milton.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00