Child

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A child (pl. children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty,^[1][2] or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty.^[3] It may also refer to an unborn human being.^[4][5] In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of child generally refers to a minor, in this case as a person younger than the local age of majority (there are exceptions like, for example, the consume and purchase of alcoholic beverage even after said age of majority^[6]), regardless of their physical, mental and sexual development as biological adults.^[1][7] Children generally have fewer rights and responsibilities than adults. They are generally classed as unable to make serious decisions.

Child may also describe a relationship with a parent (such as sons and daughters of any age)^[8] or, metaphorically, an authority figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties."^[9]