Child vs. Foster — What's the Difference?

Biologically, a child (plural children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of child generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority.

To bring up; nurture

A person between birth and puberty.

To promote the growth and development of; cultivate

A person who has not attained maturity or the age of legal majority.

To nurse; cherish

An unborn infant; a fetus.

Providing parental care and nurture to children not related through legal or blood ties

An infant; a baby.

Receiving parental care and nurture from those not related to one through legal or blood ties

One who is childish or immature.

Providing parental care to children not related to oneself.

Someone to whom a specified person is a parent.

Receiving such care.

A member of a tribe; descendant

Related by such care.

An individual regarded as strongly affected by another or by a specified time, place, or circumstance

A foster parent.

A product or result of something specified

(uncountable) The care given to another; guardianship.

A person who has not yet reached adulthood, whether natural (puberty), cultural (initiation), or legal (majority).

(transitive) To nurture or bring up offspring, or to provide similar parental care to an unrelated child.

A kid aged 1 to 11 years, whereas neonates are aged 0 to 1 month, infants are aged 1 month to 12 months, and adolescents are aged 12 years to 18 years.

(transitive) To cultivate and grow something.

(with possessive) One's direct descendant by birth, regardless of age; one's offspring; a son or daughter.

(transitive) To nurse or cherish something.

(cartomancy) The thirteenth Lenormand card.

To be nurtured or trained up together.

(figurative) A figurative offspring, particularly:

To feed; to nourish; to support; to bring up.

A person considered a product of a place or culture, a member of a tribe or culture, regardless of age.

To cherish; to promote the growth of; to encourage; to sustain and promote; as, to foster genius.

Anything derived from or caused by something.

To be nourished or trained up together.

(computing) A data item, process, or object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another.

Relating to nourishment; affording, receiving, or sharing nourishment or nurture; - applied to father, mother, child, brother, etc., to indicate that the person so called stands in the relation of parent, child, brother, etc., as regards sustenance and nurture, but not by tie of blood.

Youth of noble birth

A forester.

(mathematics) A subordinate node of a tree.

United States songwriter whose songs embody the sentiment of the South before the American Civil War (1826-1864)

A female child, a girl.

Promote the growth of;

To give birth; to beget or procreate.

Bring up under fosterage; of children

A son or a daughter; a male or female descendant, in the first degree; the immediate progeny of human parents; - in law, legitimate offspring. Used also of animals and plants.

Help develop, help grow;

A descendant, however remote; - used esp. in the plural; as, the children of Israel; the children of Edom.

Providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties;

One who, by character of practice, shows signs of relationship to, or of the influence of, another; one closely connected with a place, occupation, character, etc.; as, a child of God; a child of the devil; a child of disobedience; a child of toil; a child of the people.

A noble youth. See Childe.

A young person of either sex. esp. one between infancy and youth; hence, one who exhibits the characteristics of a very young person, as innocence, obedience, trustfulness, limited understanding, etc.

A female infant.

To give birth; to produce young.

A young person of either sex;

A human offspring (son or daughter) of any age;

An immature childish person;

A member of a clan or tribe;