toddler
UK /ˈtɒdlə/ · US /ˈtɑdlɚ/ noun
Forms toddlers
- noun A young child (typically between one and three years old) who has started walking but not fully mastered it. “I can't believe Vanessa's baby is now a toddler already!”
- noun (by extension, figurative) One unsteady on their feet.
- noun (loosely, colloquial, rare) Any young child (typically before preadolescence) who is capable of walking. “Toddlers & Tiaras”
Synonyms
ankle-biter crumb crusher crumb snatcher leg biter preschooler rugrat sproglet squirt tot tyke yearling bambino
Etymology
From toddle (“to walk unsteadily”) + -er – literally “one who walks unsteadily”, hence a young child.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “toddler”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details