Not having any children; describing a person or couple who do not have kids.
From Old English 'cild' (child) plus the suffix '-less' (meaning without), dating back to at least the 1500s. The suffix '-less' comes from Old English 'leas' meaning deprived or devoid.
The word 'childless' has become politically and socially important only recently—for centuries, it was mainly a legal term about inheritance, but today it describes millions of people making deliberate life choices, showing how words shift meaning with society.
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