gosling
Americannoun
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a young goose
-
an inexperienced or youthful person
Etymology
Origin of gosling
1375–1425; late Middle English goselyng; see goose, -ling 1; cognate with Old Norse gæslingr
Explanation
A baby goose is called a gosling. If you visit a farm in the springtime you'll get to see all the calves, ducklings, lambs, chicks, and goslings! The word gosling has Scandinavian roots — it comes from the Old Norse gæslingr, adding a diminutive suffix to gos, or "goose." So a gosling is essentially a "gooseling," like a duckling, a smaller and cuter version of an animal. Goslings hatch from eggs in nests built close to a body of water, and they are taught to swim and feed in the water almost immediately after they hatch.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Roz adopts an abandoned gosling that she names Brightbill, and the man-made machine is now a mother, flooded with compassion for her young charge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
Taz the emu and Alfred the kid were born around the same time, and have now added gosling Wiggle to their gang at Caenhill Countryside Centre in Devizes, Wiltshire.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2021
They help her to raise an orphaned gosling and deal with a harsh winter and a lost foot.
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2016
“If the first collision is belly-first,” David reassures us as gosling after gosling leaps into the abyss, “it should survive the fall.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 18, 2014
He remembered when he was a gosling how she could only watch from the edge of the pond while he went swimming.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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