Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To bereave of children; make childless.
  • To divest of the character of a child in relation to parents. [Rare in both uses.]

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To bereave of children; to make childless.
  • transitive verb To make unlike a child; to divest of the characteristics of a child.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb obsolete, transitive To make someone childless; to orphan.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ child

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Examples

  • The family consists of a grown-up son, a shiftless, melancholy-looking youth, who possibly pines for a wider life; a girl of sixteen, a sour, repellent-looking creature, with as much manners as a pig; and three hard, unchild-like younger children.

    A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains 2007

  • He had been living so unchild-like a life of late that Janetta begged to keep him for play as well as for lessons with other children.

    A True Friend A Novel Adeline Sergeant

  • Ever since he had found his place in his father's heart, the drooping unchild-like sadness had passed away, and though still grave and thoughtful, there was a life and animation about him at times that cheered and delighted her.

    Heartsease, Or, the Brother's Wife Charlotte Mary Yonge 1862

  • Conformably to the law of the fifth commandment, children ought not to marry, nor to move towards marrying, without the advice and consent of their parents; those that do (as bishop Hall here expresses it) wilfully unchild themselves, and exchange natural affections for violent. parents have a property in their children as parts of themselves.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume II (Joshua to Esther) 1721

  • If they command against God, they lose their right of being obeyed, and in this case we must unchild ourselves.

    The Ten Commandments 1692

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