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child abuse

American  

noun

  1. mistreatment of a child by a parent or guardian, including neglect, beating, and sexual molestation.

child abuse British  

noun

  1. physical, sexual, or emotional ill-treatment or neglect of a child, esp by those responsible for its welfare See also nonaccidental injury

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of child abuse

First recorded in 1970–75

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.