Comparative form meaning more childish or more characteristic of a child; more naive, innocent, or youthful than another thing or person.
From Scottish 'bairn' (child) plus '-ly' (adjectival suffix) creating 'bairnly,' then '-er' (comparative suffix), showing standard English comparative formation.
Comparative adjectives like 'bairnlier' are vanishing in modern English—we increasingly use 'more childlike' instead, but the '-er' form preserves how English created comparatives for centuries.
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