kid
/kɪd/
noun
Origin
Old Norse
kið — young goat
Overview
Meaning Now
- A young goat.
- A child or young person (informal).
Literal older meaning
young goat
Language path
Old Norse → Middle English → English
Earliest form
kid
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The transition from the animal sense to the human sense began as slang in the 1590s. Initially, it was considered a derogatory or mocking term, implying the child was as playful or 'giddy' as a young goat, before becoming a widely accepted informal term for a child.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*kithjam
“young goat”
- Old Norse
kið
“young goat”
- Middle English
kid
“young goat”
- Modern English
kid
“young goat; child”
Semantic broadening from animal to human occurring in informal speech by the late 16th century.
Connections
Word parts
kid
root
young goat
Related across languages
Old High German
kizzi
young goat
Danish
young goat
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Related to kid
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.