childlike (adj.)
1580年代，“适合儿童的”，来自 child 和 like（形容词）。在好的意义上“像孩子一样”（与 childish 区分）的意思来自1738年。“格林骑士传”（约1380年）有 child-gered “男孩般的，轻松愉快的”。
Childlike and childish express that which is characteristic of a child, the former applying to that which is worthy of approbation, or at least does not merit disapproval, and the latter usually to that which is not: as, a childlike freedom from guile; a childish petulance. To express that which belongs to the period of childhood, without qualifying it as good or bad, child or childhood is often used in composition .... [Century Dictionary, 1897]
Childlike 和 childish 表达了孩子的特点，前者适用于值得赞扬的事物，或者至少不值得反对，而后者通常适用于不值得的事物：例如，一个 childlike 的不狡猾自由； 一个 childish 的暴躁。为了表达属于童年时期的事物，而不将其归为好或坏，经常在组合中使用 child 或 childhood.... [《世纪词典》1897年]
最早记录年份: 1580s