Goatling

/ˈɡoʊtlɪŋ/ noun

Definition

A young goat; a kid goat.

Etymology

From 'goat' + '-ling' (Old English diminutive suffix meaning 'small' or 'young'). The '-ling' suffix appears in 'duckling', 'gosling', etc.

Kelly Says

The '-ling' suffix is shrinking in modern English—we barely use it anymore, but 'goatling', 'gosling', and 'duckling' are relics of when we regularly made diminutives this way for young animals!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.