Children Keeps an Old Plural Ending Twice Over
A child is a young human. Its plural is unusual: children carries two old plural markers stacked on top of each other.
A child is a young human being, or someone's son or daughter at any age. The plural *children* is a double plural: Old English made it *cildru* with an -r plural, and when that ending stopped being recognised, speakers added the familiar -en on top, giving *childer* plus *-en*. Only two other English words keep the -en plural at all: *oxen* and *brethren*. The possessive is *children's*, never *childrens'*.
- A young human. *A child of six.*
- A son or daughter. *Their youngest child.*
- Childhood — the period. *A happy childhood.*
- Childish — immature, critical. *Childish behaviour.*
- Childlike — innocent, positive. *Childlike wonder.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | child | One child. |
| Plural | children | Four children. |
| Possessive | children's | The children's book. |
| Noun | childhood | Early childhood. |
| Adjective | childlike | Childlike joy. |
- The child fell asleep in the car.Singular.
- It is in the children's section.Possessive.
- Oxen and brethren keep the same old plural.Grammar.
Childish or childlike?
- Childlike — positive: innocent, open, unspoiled
- Childish — negative: petty, immature, unreasonable
- Childlike wonder is praise; childish sulking is not
- Same root, opposite tone — a common English pattern
- Compare womanly and womanish, manly and mannish
Old English *cild*, a child, with plural *cildru*. The modern plural adds a second ending to a form that already marked the plural.
Why is it children and not childs?
Old English used an -r plural, cildru. When that faded, speakers added -en on top, producing a double plural.
Is it childrens' or children's?
Children's. The word is already plural, so the apostrophe goes before the s.