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Glite Dictionary
weaning

weaning

2 3.7
Gradually giving a baby other food instead of mother's milk
  • noun
  • /ˈwiːnɪŋ/
translation icon : destete
  • Weaning is often very hard on the mother for a week or two, or more.
  • post-weaning
  • Weaning occurs
  • weaning age

And the average age of weaning was between three and five years.

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Examples

  • Also, weaning may coincide with other life changes, like returning to work or beginning another pregnancy.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • The major challenge confronting cubs after weaning is obtaining enough solid food to survive and grow.

    Academic text (1998)

  • And the average age of weaning was between three and five years.

    Rich Roll

  • So I do think early weaning is important.

    ZOE

  • Is there anything you found particularly difficult when you started the weaning process?

    Blog text (1)

  • Red meat should be one of the very first foods your baby eats when they're weaning off breast milk.

  • Gradual weaning was generally regarded as essential for a child's well-being.

    Academic text (1994)

  • After birth, young ones follow their mother for up to 4-5 months for weaning (Duckworth and Mackinnon, 2008).

    Academic text (2015)

  • Weaning is an essential step for infants as they begin to eat solid food instead of just relying on weaning from breast milk.

  • The major challenge confronting cubs after weaning is obtaining enough solid food to survive and grow.

Synonyms

ablactation
vsweaning
  • Specialized
9.9

Gradually giving a baby or young animal other food instead of mother's milk

is the alternative term with identical meaning for this same process

Antonyms

dependency
41 4.4

Needing help from another person or thing to do everyday tasks

nursing
24 1.8

Feeding a baby with milk from a mother's breast

How Weaned

independence
608 3.0
weaning
2 3.7
nursing
24 1.8

Surface Forms

weaning singular
weanings plural

Morphology

weaning = wean (transparent) = wean + ing

A straightforward deverbal noun/gerund: 'wean' (verb) + '-ing' denotes the action or process, so the meaning is directly derived.

Etymology

The word weaning comes from the old English verb wean, which meant 'to accustom' or 'to make used to'. So weaning is the slow process of getting a baby 'used to' other food instead of its mother's milk.