foundling

[ found-ling ]

noun

1. an infant or small child found abandoned; a child without a known parent or guardian.

foundling

/ ˈfaʊndlɪŋ /

noun

1. an abandoned infant whose parents are not known

Word History and Origins

Origin of foundling¹

First recorded in 1250–1300, foundling is from the Middle English word found(e)ling. See found ², -ling ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of foundling¹

C13: foundeling ; see find

Example Sentences

In a logging camp in 1934 New Brunswick, newborn Pearly is raised alongside Bruno, a foundling bear cub given to her father.

From Los Angeles Times

“They both have the connection of being adopted, being foundlings, so there’s that emotional bond.”

From Los Angeles Times

We might hear an account of a foundling left on this particular doorstep, or perhaps the family that once lived here and was forced to flee or go into hiding.

From Los Angeles Times

They're outcasts and they take in other outcasts — foundlings — and help them, raise them, accept them as their own.

From Salon

These seeds of hope for Mandalore bear fruit in the episode’s first epilogue, where after Gideon’s defeat the Armorer relights the Great Forge and then recommences the process of anointing foundlings in the Living Waters.

From New York Times