lambkin

American  

[lam-kin] / ˈlæm kɪn /

noun

1. a little lamb.

2. a person who is exceptionally sweet, young, and innocent, as a small child.

---

lambkin British  

/ ˈlæmkɪn /

noun

1. a small or young lamb

2. a term of affection for a small endearing child

---

Etymology

Origin of lambkin

First recorded in 1570–80; lamb + -kin

Example Sentences

She will certainly open her eyes when she finds her lambkin in the clutches of the wolf.

From The Dramatic Works of G. E. Lessing Miss Sara Sampson, Philotas, Emilia Galotti, Nathan the Wise by Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim

Then both his children to a window leads That over daisied pasture-land looks out, And shows Bopeep where her lost flock wide feeds, And every frolic lambkin leaps about.

From Poems by Howells, William Dean

I told Grandmother when we got home that I remembered when Grandfather Richards baptized me in Auburn, and when he gave me back to mother he said, “Blessed little lambkin, you’ll never know your grandpa.”

From Village Life in America 1852-1872 Including the period of the American Civil War as told in the diary of a school-girl by Richards, Caroline Cowles

By the way, the lambkin is thriving and we’ve named it after you—Netty!”

From Dorothy on a Ranch by Raymond, Evelyn

Morel, the lapidary!" said the porteress, excessively surprised; "why, he is the mildest lambkin in the world.

From The Mysteries of Paris, Volume 3 of 6 by Sue, Eugène