# toddler

Pronunciation: US say "TOD-lur" /ˈtɑdlɚ/; UK say "TOD-luh" /ˈtɒdlə/

## Noun

1. A young child who has begun walking but has not yet fully mastered it, usually between one and three years old.
   - Simple: A young child who is learning to walk, usually between one and three years old.
   - _The toddler gripped the railing tightly as she climbed the stairs._
   - _Parents of toddlers quickly learn to watch for hazards at floor level._
2. A person who is unsteady on their feet, moving with shaky, uncertain steps.
   - Simple: Someone who walks in a shaky, unsteady way, like a person who keeps almost falling.
   - _Still groggy from the anesthesia, she crossed the room a toddler, reaching for the doorframe to steady herself._
   - _Three days seasick, the passengers staggered down the gangway like a pack of toddlers._

## Origin

This comes from "toddle" ("to walk unsteadily") plus the suffix "-er," literally meaning "one who walks unsteadily," hence a young child.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/toddler (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).