lambkin

American  

[lam-kin] / ˈlæm kɪn /

noun

1. a little lamb.

2. a person who is exceptionally sweet, young, and innocent, as a small child.

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lambkin British  

/ ˈlæmkɪn /

noun

1. a small or young lamb

2. a term of affection for a small endearing child

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Etymology

Origin of lambkin

First recorded in 1570–80; lamb + -kin

Example Sentences

Come, little Annette, with tresses all curling bright, Sporting and frisking like lambkin or kid, Foot it so sprightly, and dance it all down aright— Never for languor shall Annette be chid.

From Harper's Young People, May 18, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

IF thou wilt close thy drowsy eyes, My mulberry one, my golden son, The rose shall sing thee lullabies, My pretty cosset lambkin!

From Second Book of Verse by Field, Eugene

There might ye see the piony spread wide, The full-blown rose, the shepherd and his lass, Lapdog and lambkin with black staring eyes, And parrots with twin cherries in their beak.”

From The Art of Needle-work, from the Earliest Ages, 3rd ed. Including Some Notices of the Ancient Historical Tapestries by Menzies, Sutherland, fl. 1840-1883

By the way, the lambkin is thriving and we’ve named it after you—Netty!”

From Dorothy on a Ranch by Raymond, Evelyn

It was taken for granted that "Little Nell" had fallen down some cliff, no doubt, and lay buried there, with the snow for her shroud, like a strayed lambkin.

From Uncanny Tales by Molesworth, Mrs. Mary Louisa