weaning

Everyday

1. Slowly getting a baby or a young animal used to eating food instead of drinking only its mother's milk (or formula). tree →
2. Slowly helping someone to give up something they depend on or are used to: "weaning him off sweets". tree →
3. (Scotland, noun "wean") A child; this is a different, Scots word. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons on life cycles and mammals, weaning is the stage when young animals stop feeding on milk. Parents talk about weaning a baby onto mashed food around six months. In everyday life, "weaning off" means cutting down slowly, such as weaning off screens. Phrases: "wean off", "wean onto", "be weaned from".

Examples

• The piglets are weaning now and eating from the trough. tree →
• Weaning a baby starts with soft, mashed food. tree →
• My baby sister was weaned onto mashed banana. tree →
• Puppies finish weaning at about eight weeks old. tree →
• Dad is weaning himself off sugar in his tea. tree →
• Mum is weaning us off screens before bedtime. tree →

Note

"Wean" is a regular verb (weaned, weaning). Weaning is slow and step by step, not sudden. In Scotland, "wean" (sounds like "wayn") also means a small child: "Get the weans to bed."