changeling

[ cheynj-ling ]
See synonyms for changeling on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a child surreptitiously or unintentionally substituted for another.

  2. (in folklore) an ugly, stupid, or strange child left by fairies in place of a pretty, charming child.

  1. Philately. a postage stamp that, by accident or intention, has been chemically changed in color.

  2. Archaic.

    • a renegade or turncoat.

    • an imbecile.

Origin of changeling

1
First recorded in 1545–55; change + -ling1

Words Nearby changeling

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

How to use changeling in a sentence

  • The same writer gives a similar account of the changeling mentioned above, p. 107.

    The Science of Fairy Tales | Edwin Sidney Hartland
  • Thiele relates a story in which a wild stallion colt is brought in to smell two babes, one of which is a changeling.

    The Science of Fairy Tales | Edwin Sidney Hartland

British Dictionary definitions for changeling

changeling

/ (ˈtʃeɪndʒlɪŋ) /


noun
  1. a child believed to have been exchanged by fairies for the parents' true child

  2. archaic

    • an idiot

    • a fickle or changeable person

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