abandoned infant
1
5.1
- noun
- /əˈbændənd ˈɪnfənt/
Examples
-
"How hard do you look in a case like that, with an abandoned infant?"
Fiction book (1995) -
It preceded the Foundling Hospital for abandoned infants, organized by Georgia Trustee Capt. Thomas Coram.
Academic text (2007) -
The orphanage provided a loving environment for the abandoned infant to grow up in.
-
Social workers are dedicated to finding homes for every abandoned infant in their care.
-
Many organizations work tirelessly to support the needs of abandoned infants and their potential adoptive families.
Synonyms
26
3.2
Something left without care or help
3
9.8
A baby left by its parents who other people take in and care for
Antonyms
How Cared For
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'abandoned' (left behind/forcibly deserted) and 'infant' (young child), so the meaning 'a child left without care' is directly derivable from the constituents. This adjective+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase abandoned infant comes from a simple, sad image: long ago, parents who could not care for a baby sometimes left it at a church or hospital door for someone else to find. So an abandoned infant is a baby 'left without care' and often with 'parents unknown'.