ˈbairnlinessSc. and north.dial. [f. next + -ness.] Childishness. 1838Blackw. Mag. XLIII. 270 Driven to the bairnliness of supping peas with a spoon.1863Grosart Small SinsPref. 9 Laborious ingenuity or childishness (note, perhaps our vernacular ‘bairnliness’ better expresses the thing).