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foundling

found·ling
F f

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [found-ling]
    • /ˈfaʊnd lɪŋ/
    • /ˈfaʊnd.lɪŋ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [found-ling]
    • /ˈfaʊnd lɪŋ/

Definitions of foundling word

  • noun foundling an infant or small child found abandoned; a child without a known parent or guardian. 1
  • noun foundling An infant that has been abandoned by its parents and is discovered and cared for by others. 1
  • noun foundling abandoned child 1
  • countable noun foundling A foundling is a baby that has been abandoned by its parents, often in a public place, and that has then been found by someone. 0
  • noun foundling an abandoned infant whose parents are not known 0
  • noun foundling an infant of unknown parents that has been found abandoned 0

Information block about the term

Origin of foundling

First appearance:

before 1250
One of the 11% oldest English words
First recorded in 1250-1300, foundling is from the Middle English word found(e)ling. See found1, -ling1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Foundling

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

foundling popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 75% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

foundling usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for foundling

noun foundling

  • castaway — A castaway is a person who has managed to swim or float to a lonely island or shore after their boat has sunk.
  • waif — a person, especially a child, who has no home or friends.
  • orphan — a child who has lost both parents through death, or, less commonly, one parent.
  • stray — to deviate from the direct course, leave the proper place, or go beyond the proper limits, especially without a fixed course or purpose; ramble: to stray from the main road.
  • ragamuffin — a ragged, disreputable person; tatterdemalion.

Top questions with foundling

  • in what year was the foundling hospital built?
  • what is a foundling?
  • what is a foundling child?
  • what is a foundling home?
  • what does foundling mean?
  • what is a foundling hospital?

See also

Matching words

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