fledgling
[ flej-ling ]
/ ˈflɛdʒ lɪŋ /
noun
a young bird just fledged.
an inexperienced person.
adjective
young, new, or inexperienced: a fledgling diver.
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Nearby words
flection, fled, fledermaus, die, fledge, fledged, fledgling, fledgy, flee, fleece, fleece-vine, fleeced
Also especially British, fledge·ling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for fledgling
British Dictionary definitions for fledgling
fledgling
fledgeling
/ (ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ) /
noun
a young bird that has just fledged
- a young and inexperienced or untried person, organization or system
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
Word Origin and History for fledgling
fledgling
1830 (adj.), 1846 as a noun meaning "young bird," from fledge + diminutive suffix -ling. Of persons, from 1856.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Science definitions for fledgling
fledgling
[ flĕj′lĭng ]
A young bird that has just grown the feathers needed to fly and is capable of surviving outside the nest.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.