changeling

[ cheynj-ling ]

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.
   1. a renegade or turncoat.
   2. an imbecile.

changeling

/ ˈtʃeɪndʒlɪŋ /

noun

1. a child believed to have been exchanged by fairies for the parents' true child
2. archaic.
   1. an idiot
   2. a fickle or changeable person

Word History and Origins

Origin of changeling¹

First recorded in 1545–55; change + -ling ¹

Example Sentences

This is more Changeling than Invictus, as far as director Eastwood is concerned.

From The Daily Beast

To be fair, and slightly ashamed of myself, I did not watch Changeling.

From The Daily Beast

Die foolish beoples in the island, they say she is a wechsel-balg—what you call a fairy-elf changeling.

From Project Gutenberg

One more story of a "changeling" before we leave the subject.

From Project Gutenberg

Everybody believed Ellis to have been a changeling, and one saying of his is well known in that part of the country.

From Project Gutenberg

The same writer gives a similar account of the changeling mentioned above, p. 107.

From Project Gutenberg

Thiele relates a story in which a wild stallion colt is brought in to smell two babes, one of which is a changeling.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• backup
• replacement
• stand-in
• surrogate