ENGLISH
REFERENCE

changeling

n.
UK //tʃˈeɪndʒlɪŋ// changeling Archaic Informal
Synonyms
Origin

The noun is derived from change + -ling (suffix with the sense ‘immature; small’). Sense 6 (“idiot, simpleton”) is from the idea that foolish children had been left by magical creatures (sense 1). The adjective is derived from the noun.

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