hatchling

[ hach-ling ]

/ ˈhætʃ lɪŋ /

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noun

a young bird, reptile, or fish recently emerged from an egg.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of hatchling

First recorded in 1895–1900; hatch¹ + -ling¹

Words nearby hatchling

hatchet man, hatchettite, hatchetwork, Hatchie, hatching, hatchling, hatchment, hatchway, hat dance, hate, hateable

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hatchling in a sentence

Hundreds of bones and teeth from dino hatchlings turned up along the Colville River in northern Alaska.
Dinosaur families appear to have lived in the Arctic year-round|Nikk Ogasa|July 27, 2021|Science News For Students
Pterosaur hatchlings may have been able to fly right out of the shell — although the flight of those ancient baby reptiles might have looked a bit different from that of the adults.
Pterosaurs may have been able to fly as soon as they hatched|Carolyn Gramling|July 22, 2021|Science News
The next month, a volunteer took a photo of the young hatchlings that showed there were three.
The peregrine falcon mostly disappeared. A lone chick took flight at Harpers Ferry for the first time in 70 years.|Dana Hedgpeth|July 2, 2021|Washington Post
Therefore, if their mothers popped them out at the dawn of spring, the hatchlings only had a few months to grow before winter set in.
The real Jurassic Park may have been in the Arctic|Sara Kiley Watson|June 28, 2021|Popular-Science

Hundreds of bones and teeth found along the Colville River in northern Alaska belonged to dinosaur hatchlings, researchers say.
For some dinosaurs, the Arctic may have been a great place to raise a family|Nikk Ogasa|June 24, 2021|Science News
The average total length of seven hatchling tadpoles is 7.4 mm.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
Hatchling tadpoles are active swimmers and have only a small amount of yolk.
Amphibians and Reptiles of the Rainforests of Southern El Peten, Guatemala|William E. Duellman
The hatchling spider sprang—it was a combat of midgets which was soon over.
The Red Dust|Murray Leinster
Diagrammatic representation of ontogenetic change in color pattern in Cnemidophorus sacki zweifeli: A—hatchling, 34 mm.
A New Subspecies of Lizard, Cnemidophorus sacki, from Michoacan, Mexico|William E. Duellman
The hatchling does deviate from "typical" pallidus in having darkish flecks posteriorly on the carapace.
North American Recent Soft-shelled Turtles (Family Trionychidae)|Robert G. Webb

British Dictionary definitions for hatchling

hatchling

/ (ˈhætʃlɪŋ) /

noun

a young animal that has newly emerged from an egg

Word Origin for hatchling

C19: from hatch 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