bantling

[ bant-ling ]
See synonyms for bantling on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a very young child.

Origin of bantling

1
First recorded in 1585–95, bantling is from the German word Bänkling illegitimate child. See bench, -ling1

Words Nearby bantling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bantling in a sentence

  • A long time, however, must have elapsed before the bantling took heart of grace and found strength to run alone.

  • He advertised my bantling gratuitously in his own journal, and gave it every possible facility.

  • It is fortunate for you, sir, that the Duchess Joan wears her hair short, like a Northman or a bantling troubadour.

    Joan of the Sword Hand | S(amuel) R(utherford) Crockett
  • He had got something from Don Jaime's books, this mountaineer's bantling!

    The Wolf Cub | Patrick Casey
  • She had spent more than an hour the evening before writing a story, and was rather proud of her first-born literary bantling.

    A Fortunate Term | Angela Brazil

British Dictionary definitions for bantling

bantling

/ (ˈbæntlɪŋ) /


noun
  1. archaic, derogatory a young child; brat

Origin of bantling

1
C16: perhaps from German Bänkling illegitimate child, from Bank bench + -ling 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012