nestling
nestlings
A nestling is a baby bird that can't fly yet and tends to hang out in its — yes, you guessed it — nest. Nestlings have to be fed and cared for by their parents.
From the moment a baby bird hatches from its egg, it is a nestling — and it remains a nestling until it learns to fly, when it officially becomes a fledgling. Some people fondly refer to young children as nestlings too. This noun adds the diminutive ending -ling (as in gosling for baby goose) to nest.
Definitions of nestling
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a young bird not yet fledged
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synonyms:
baby bird
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type of:
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young bird
a bird that is still young
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young bird
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a young person of either sex
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types:
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bairn
a child: son or daughter
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buster
a robust child
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changeling
a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy
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child prodigy, infant prodigy, wonder child, wunderkind
a prodigy whose talents are recognized at an early age
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foster child, foster-child, fosterling
a child who is raised by foster parents
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imp, monkey, rapscallion, rascal, scalawag, scallywag, scamp
one who is playfully mischievous
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kiddy
a young child
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orphan
a child who has lost both parents
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peanut
a young child who is small for his age
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poster child
a child afflicted by some disease or deformity whose picture is used on posters to raise money for charitable purposes
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kindergartener, kindergartner, preschooler
a child who attends a preschool or kindergarten
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silly
a word used for misbehaving children
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sprog
a child
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bambino, toddler, tot, yearling
a young child
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urchin
a poor and often mischievous city child
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street child, waif
a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned
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foster daughter, foster-daughter
someone who is raised as a daughter although not related by birth
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foster son, foster-son
someone who is raised as a son although not related by birth
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poster boy
a male poster child
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poster girl
a female poster child
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ragamuffin, tatterdemalion
a dirty shabbily clothed urchin
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guttersnipe, street urchin
a child who spends most of his time in the streets, especially in slum areas
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brat, holy terror, little terror, terror
a very troublesome child
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type of:
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juvenile, juvenile person
a young person, not fully developed
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘nestling'.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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