Nearby Words
noun
1.
a child surreptitiously or unintentionally substituted for another.
2.
(in folklore) an ugly, stupid, or strange child left by fairies in place of a pretty, charming child.
3.
Philately. a postage stamp that, by accident or intention, has been chemically changed in color.
4.
Archaic.
a.
a renegade or turncoat.
b.
an imbecile.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Changeling
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
Collins
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
changeling
1555, "one given to change," from change + dim. suffix -ling. Meaning "person or thing left in place of one secretly taken" is from 1561; specific reference to an infant or young child (usually stupid or ugly) supposedly left by the faeries in
EXPANDplace of one they took is from 1584. An earlier word for it was oaf or auf.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
changeling
in European folklore, a deformed or imbecilic offspring of fairies or elves substituted by them surreptitiously for a human infant. According to legend, the abducted human children are given to the devil or used to strengthen fairy stock. The return of the original child may be effected by making the changeling laugh or by torturing it; this latter belief was responsible for numerous cases of actual child abuse.
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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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