second childhood

noun

1. senility; dotage.

second childhood

noun

1. dotage; senility (esp in the phrases in his, her, etc, second childhood )

Word History and Origins

Origin of second childhood¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Idioms and Phrases

The dotage of old age; also, childlike playfulness in an adult. For example, Grandpa needs full-time care, now that he's in his second childhood , or Since he retired and started learning to fly, he's been in his second childhood . Depending on the context, this term may allude either to such problems of old age as losing one's mental or physical capacities or to delighting in new pleasures in a childlike fashion. [c. 1900]

Example Sentences

The toy sector has had a tough year, but second childhoods may just have provided a new seam to exploit.

From BBC

"But you are in second childhood, Michael," I tell myself.

From BBC

And so we filled that gap with a lot of leisure activities and this frenzied pursuit of a second childhood.

From New York Times

“My dad made a lot of money and had a second childhood,” Moskowitz said.

From The New Yorker

“I was having a kind of second childhood,” Bill Loud said in 1982.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• infirmity