gosling

American  

[goz-ling] / ˈgɒz lɪŋ /

noun

1. a young goose.

2. a foolish, inexperienced person.

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gosling British  

/ ˈɡɒzlɪŋ /

noun

1. a young goose

2. an inexperienced or youthful person

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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

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

Adults reading it aloud will smile as Roz, with her “computer brain packed full of parenting advice,” guides her curious gosling to take his place in the world.

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

Loudwing escorted Brightbill back to the beach, and a minute later the gosling was in his mother’s arms, safe and sound.

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown