foundling
English
Etymology
From Middle English foundlyng, fondeyng, variants of Middle English fyndling, fyndlyng, equivalent to found + -ling.
Noun
foundling (plural foundlings)
- An abandoned child, left by its parent(s), often a baby left at a convent or similar safe place.
- 1749, Henry Fielding, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.
- 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations:
- In foundling hospitals, and among the children brought up by parish charities, the mortality is still greater than among those of the common people.
- 1794, Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason (Part I):
- Moses was a foundling; Jesus Christ was born in a stable; and Mahomet was a mule driver.
Derived terms
Translations
abandoned child, left by its parent
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See also
Anagrams
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