Young ducks, the baby waterfowl with fluffy down feathers that follow their mother.
From 'duck' (Old English 'duc' or 'doce,' of uncertain origin, possibly imitating the quack sound) + '-ling' (a diminutive suffix meaning 'small one'). The suffix '-ling' appears in many animal baby words like 'gosling' and 'duckling' specifically dates to Middle English.
Ducklings imprint on the first moving thing they see after hatching—in famous experiments, ducklings followed scientists instead of their mothers, proving that 'mother' is learned, not instinctual!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.