urchin
n. countablen. a very poor child who lives on the streets and often does small crimes to survive. It is an old-fashioned word that people use to describe a child who is not well-behaved.
n. a destitute, often mischievous or criminal, child. Frequently carries a derogatory or sentimental tone depending on the literary context; historically associated with Victorian-era poverty.
The story is about a street urchin who finds a gold coin.
In many classic novels, the protagonist is a poor urchin who eventually finds a better life through hard work.
The author paints a vivid portrait of a Victorian urchin, highlighting the stark contrast between the child's sharp wit and the grimy, dangerous environment of the city's underbelly.
From Middle English yrchoun, irchoun (“hedgehog; sea urchin”), from Old Northern French irechon, from Vulgar Latin *ērīciōnem, from Latin ērīcius. Compare modern French hérisson, whence the English doublet herisson.