Meanings
birdling1
plural birdlings
- A little bird; especially, a baby bird.
Near-synonyms: birdlet, birdie, birb; chick, nestling, fledgling
2 more examples
Clasped, love, close to thy heart, thy birdling Foldeth her wings in peace-- Trusts, love! feeling nor cold nor shadow, Finding at last her ease, From fear a safe release, Heart's love, with thee."
1872, John Hay et al., Not Pretty, But PreciousNay, fear not, birdling! let me gently Uplift and hold thee in my hand; Thou gazest on me so intently, Thou must my motive understand.
1913, John L. Stoddard, Poems
birdling2
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
birdling · noun
- Proto-West Germanic*burdiling
- Old Englishbyrdling“tortoise”
- Middle English*byrdlyng
- Englishbirdling
From Middle English *byrdlyng, from Old English byrdling (“tortoise”), from Proto-West Germanic *burdiling. By surface analysis, board + -ling.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Esperanto birdeto, virbirdeto
- birdetosmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- virbirdetosmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- birdetinosmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
French oisillon
- oisillonsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
German Piepmatz, Vögelchen
- Piepmatzsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Vögelchensmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Vögeleinsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Vögleinsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Vogerlsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Jungvogelsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
- Vogeljungessmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
Norwegian Bokmål småfugl
- småfuglsmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
Tagalog inakay
- inakaysmall bird; birdie; nestling (young bird, baby bird)
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
birdling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birdling
“birdling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birdling. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “birdling,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birdling.
Source: birdling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.