kinglet

[ king-lit ]

/ ˈkɪŋ lɪt /

noun

a king ruling over a small country or territory.

any of several small, greenish, crested birds of the genus Regulus.

Nearby words

kingfisher, kingfisher daisy, kinghood, kingklip, kinglake, kinglet, kingly, kingmaker, kingpin, kings, kings canyon national park

Compare goldcrest, golden-crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet.

Origin of kinglet

First recorded in 1595–1605; king + -let

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

Examples from the Web for kinglet

Saying this, the wooden Indian bowed to the kinglet, gave a furious war-whoop, and stalked stiffly from the room.
John Dough and the Cherub|L. Frank Baum
The story was that three brothers took service with a kinglet in Macedonia.
The Poetry of Architecture|John Ruskin
"Now, by my—my—my—" The kinglet jabbed the fat man with his sceptre.
John Dough and the Cherub|L. Frank Baum
So she called to Mr. Kinglet that somebody seemed to be in trouble; and he came hurrying up at once.
The Tale of Frisky Squirrel|Arthur Scott Bailey

"You are accused of being foolish," said the kinglet, with a broad grin upon his freckled face.
John Dough and the Cherub|L. Frank Baum

British Dictionary definitions for kinglet

kinglet

/ (ˈkɪŋlɪt) /

noun

often derogatory the king of a small or insignificant territory

US and Canadian any of various small warblers of the genus Regulus, having a black-edged yellow crown: family Muscicapidae

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