Kidlings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Young goats, typically still nursing or recently weaned ; the playful offspring of a goat ; juvenile goats in their early stages of life
2. Baby goats, characterized by small size and youthful behavior ; young members of the goat species ; early-stage goats that have not reached maturity
3. Goat youngsters, often seen frolicking and dependent on their mothers ; immature goats within the first months after birth ; newly born or very young goats before full growth

Etymology: "Kidlings" is the plural of "kidling," a young goat, and the plural form simply follows the word's pattern of adding an s to a noun. The base word "kid," for a young goat, has been in English for centuries, and the diminutive suffix "-ling" was added to it to make a smaller, younger version of the animal. The suffix "-ling" is an old English ending that has long marked small or young things, as in "duckling," "gosling," and "seedling." Attaching it to "kid" produced a word meaning a little kid, which is a doubled sense of smallness and youth. The compound is therefore straightforward: a familiar animal name with a familiar diminutive ending.

Synonyms: kid goats, young goats, goatlings

Antonyms: adult goats, grown goats