gosling

[ goz-ling ]

/ ˈgɒz lɪŋ /

noun

a young goose.

a foolish, inexperienced person.

Nearby words

Origin of gosling

1375–1425; late Middle English goselyng; see goose, -ling¹; cognate with Old Norse gæslingr

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

Examples from the Web for gosling

The gosling's best chance at surviving the jump is to bounce off the cliff on its soft belly.
Barnacle Gosling’s Death-Defying Cliff Dive|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Whenever the script seems ready to surrender to maudlin excess, Gosling and McAdams are there to pull it back.
A Love Letter to ‘The Notebook,’ a Melodrama That Commits to Its Sentimentality|Teo Bugbee|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At times, Gosling appears to have weightier concerns in mind.
Ryan Gosling’s Bizarre Directorial Debut, ‘Lost River,’ Features Sadism, Warlords, and Rat Murder|Richard Porton|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Gosling is just as adept at wearing what Jannuzzi says is the next trend for summer: the tank top.
Jude Law and the Great Male ‘He-Vage’ Crisis|Tim Teeman|May 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The heartbroken masses got two last films from Gosling in 2013, both exceptional: Place Beyond the Pines and Only God Forgives.
The Biggest Surprises and Disappointments in 2013|Melissa Leon|December 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The next day the gosling got up early and went and bought the meal and then returned home and shut the house.
Italian Popular Tales|Thomas Frederick Crane
People talk about death as the gosling might about life before it chips its egg.
A Rough Shaking|George MacDonald
Gosling Island is a pretty place, and I think you will all enjoy the sail.
A Dear Little Girl's Summer Holidays|Amy E. Blanchard
After a hurried consultation among the ringleaders, the company marched to the tent where the Gosling slept.
The Drummer Boy|John Trowbridge
I know just about as much of the law as a spring gosling, and no more.
Fashion and Famine|Ann S. Stephens

British Dictionary definitions for gosling

gosling

/ (ˈɡɒzlɪŋ) /

noun

a young goose

an inexperienced or youthful person

Word Origin for gosling

C15: from Old Norse gæslingr; related to Danish gäsling; see goose 1, -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

Word Origin and History for gosling

gosling

mid-14c. (late 13c. as a surname), from Old Norse gæslingr, from gos "goose" (see goose (n.)) + diminutive suffix. replaced Old English gesling. The modern word may be a Middle English formation from Middle English gos "goose."