n.
 (pl. babies)
   - a child or animal that is newly or recently born.
 - a timid or childish person.
 - informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship (often as a form of address).
 
adj.
 comparatively small or immature of its kind.
v.
 (babies, babying, babied)
 pamper or be overprotective towards.
 
  Phrase
  
    
      - throw the baby out with the bathwater
 discard something valuable along with other things that are undesirable. 
    
   
  Derivative
  
  Etymology
  ME: prob. imitative of an infant's first attempts at speech.