hatchling

American  

[hach-ling] / ˈhætʃ lɪŋ /

noun

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

---

hatchling British  

/ ˈhætʃlɪŋ /

noun

1. a young animal that has newly emerged from an egg

---

Etymology

Origin of hatchling

First recorded in 1895–1900; hatch ¹ + -ling ¹

Explanation

A hatchling is a baby bird that's just hatched from an egg. Any other animal that hatches from an egg is also a hatchling. Since you are human, you are NOT a hatchling. While hatchling is most often used for a young bird, newly-born turtles, tadpoles, and newts are all hatchlings too. Sometimes people find bird hatchlings in distress and nurse them back to health. Occasionally, these hatchlings seem to see their human caregivers as parents. Hatchling uses the diminutive -ling suffix, like the words gosling or duckling.

Example Sentences

Dragon Hatchling imbues AI with memory that large language models can’t match, according to Pathway, theoretically enabling a new class of continuously learning, adaptive AI systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

Hatchling ducks recognize the first adult they see, their mother, and make a bond with her.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Hatchling releases —in which children get to place newborns on beaches-- have become popular and appear to have reinforced the idea that sea turtles are a resource to be preserved, not consumed.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2018

That’s quite a moment for a child to witness, but that’s just the beginning of the Hatchling experience.

From Washington Times • Nov. 22, 2017

Hatchling tadpoles have total lengths of 5.8 to 6.5 mm. and body lengths of 2.8 to 3.1 mm.

From Neotropical Hylid Frogs, Genus Smilisca by Duellman, William E.