foundling

[ found-ling ]

/ ˈfaʊnd lɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR foundling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an infant or small child found abandoned; a child without a known parent or guardian.

RELATED WORDS

castaway, waif

Nearby words

Origin of foundling

First recorded in 1250–1300, foundling is from the Middle English word found(e)ling. See found¹, -ling¹

Can be confusedfondling foundling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for foundling

Ginx's Baby, under the title "Re a Foundling," was once more submitted for the opinion of counsel.
Ginx's Baby|Edward Jenkins
The child was left at the Foundling Hospital in my presence.
Fruitfulness|Emile Zola
Service in the chapel is over, and the Foundling children are at dinner.
No Thoroughfare|Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins
And much quotation on a page makes it like a foundling hospital—sentences unparented, ideas abandoned of their proper text.
Journeys to Bagdad|Charles S. Brooks

When he called me a foundling, he said no more than the truth, and I have no right to thrash him for that.
San-Cravate; or, The Messengers; Little Streams|Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for foundling

foundling

/ (ˈfaʊndlɪŋ) /

noun

an abandoned infant whose parents are not known

Word Origin for foundling

C13: foundeling; see find

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 foundling

foundling

"deserted infant," c.1300, from Middle English founden "found," past participle of finden (see find (v.)) + diminutive suffix -ling. Cf. Dutch vondeling, German Findling.