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child n pl chil·dren1: a son or daughter of any age and usu. including one formally adopted compare issue◇ The word child as used in a statute or will is often held to include a stepchild, an illegitimate child, a person for whom one stands in loco parentis, or sometimes a more remote descendant, such as a grandchild. In interpreting the word child as used in a will, the court will try to effectuate the intent of the person who made the will as it can be determined from the language of the will.2: a person below an age specified by law: infant minorassault on a child under 16 years of age compare adult◇ A person who is below the statutory age but is married will usually be considered an adult.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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I
noun
adolescent, boy, daughter, filia, filius, foster child, girl, grandchild, infans, infant, ingenue, issue, juvenile, lineal descendant, minor, newborn, offspring, progeny, pueri, scion, young, young boy, young descendant, young girl, youngling, youngster, youth
associated concepts: abandoned child, abortive child, adopted child, afterborn child, child born out of wedlock, child by future marriage, child custody, child labor, child support, childbirth, childcare, childhood, en ventre sa mere, foster child, illegitimate child, legitimate child, minor child, natural child, neglected child, orphan, posthumous child, pretermitted child, stepchild
II
index
dependent, descendant, infant, issue (progeny), juvenile, minor, offspring
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.(1) Offspring, a son or daughter.(2) A person under the age of majority; a minor.pl.children
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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1. a young person. The law in either England and Scotland cannot be said to offer any single definition of the word. Various ages are defined as childhood, but all are under the age of majority, which is 18: Children Act 1989. In relation to crime, a child is a person under 14: Children and Young Persons Act 1969.In Scotland, majority is attained at 18: Age of Majority (Scotland) Act 1969. However, the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991 establishes the age of 16 as generally conferring full legal capacity, subject to some provisos, until majority. For the purposes of crime, a child of under eight years cannot be prosecuted. The position in relation to delict is uncertain. The Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 refers and applies to children who have not reached the age of 16. See children's hearing. The law on parental rights and responsibilities in Scotland under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 applies largely to children under 16 with a few provisions for those under 18.2. in wills and deeds, 'child' can refer to persons of any age. Normally 'child' will refer to issue in the first generation only, excluding grandchildren or remoter issue, but if the testator's intention can be interpreted as including descendants then the position may be different: Morgan v . Thomas 51 LJQB 55. The practice is the same in Scotland: Adam's Executrix v . Maxwell 1921 SC 418.3. throughout the UK for the purposes of child support, a qualifying child is a person under the age of 16 or under 19 and in full-time (but not advanced) education or under 18 in certain circumstances and a person who has not contracted a valid, void or annulled marriage. A qualifying child is one for which one or both parents is an absent parent.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
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1) A person's offspring of any age, which can include biological offspring, unborn children, adopted children, stepchildren, foster children, and children born outside of marriage.2) A person under an age specified by law, often 14 or 16. For example, state law may require a person to be over the age of 14 to make a valid will, or may define the crime of statutory rape as sex with a person under the age of 16. In this sense, a child can be distinguished from a minor, who is a person under the age of legal majority (18 in most states).Category: Divorce & Family Law
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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England, WalesAny person who is not over compulsory school age is deemed to be a child for the purpose of the legislation prohibiting or regulating the employment of children or young persons (section 558, Education Act 1996).For further details, see Practice note, Employment of children.Related terms
Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010.
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n.1 A person under the age of majority.See also age.2 Under the common law, a person who is under 14 years of age.3 The son or daughter of a person or an individual who is treated as such.@ after-born childA child born after a certain event, such as a child born after the execution of a will or the death of its testator parent.=>> child.@ biological child1 A child born to his parents. Also called natural child.2 A child genetically related to a specified parent. Also called genetic child, natural child.See also adoption.=>> child.@ delinquent child1 A minor who intentionally and constantly engages in antisocial behavior.2 A minor who does something that would be a crime if committed by an adult. Whether the child would be subject to the juvenile court's jurisdiction would depend on whether the child is over the statutorily established age.See also juvenile delinquent.=>> child.@ foster childA child cared for and raised by an adult, usually selected by a government agency, who is not his or her natural or adoptive parents.=>> child.@ genetic child=>> biological child (2).@ illegitimate childA child who was not conceived or born in lawful wedlock and who is not later legitimated. Also called bastard.See also paternity suit.=>> child.@ legitimate child1 In common law, a child born or conceived in lawful wedlock.2 Under most modern statutes, a child born or conceived in lawful wedlock or later legitimated by her parents' subsequent marriage, her father's acknowledgement of paternity, or a judicial determination of paternity.=>> child.@ neglected childA child whose parents or legal custodians fail to safeguard the child's emotional and physical health and general well-being.=>> child.@ posthumous childTraditionally, a child born after his father's death. However, because it is now medically possible in some situations to keep a deceased pregnant woman on life-support machine until the birth of her child, the term can include a child born after his mother's death.n. Child born after death of one of its parents.=>> child.@
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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Offspring of parentage; progeny.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
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n.1) a person's natural offspring.2) a person 14 years and under. A "child" should be distinguished from a "minor" who is anyone under 18 in almost all states.See also: minor
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.