changeling
/ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒlɪŋ/ · noun
Meaning
- In pre-modern European mythology, an infant that was secretly exchanged for a mother's own baby by an evil creature. (In British, Irish and Scandinavian mythology the exchanged infants were thought to be those of fairies, sprites or trolls; in other places, they were ascribed to witches, devils, or demons.)
- An infant secretly exchanged with another infant by mistake or by human doing; swapling.
- An organism which can change shape to mimic others.
- A simpleton; an idiot.
- One apt to change; a waverer.
Etymology / origin
No prose etymology has been added yet.
No ancestor words have been linked yet.
Related words
Descendant words
No descendant words have been linked yet.