bantling

A woman cradles her bantling in a rocking chair.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A young child: "bantling" is an archaic or literary term referring to a young child, especially a very young one or an infant.

Usage Examples

• (The young child was resting quietly in its bed.)
• (She held the infant while walking through the settlement.)
• (The story mentioned a young child discovered deserted in the forest.)

Advanced Usage

• "a bantling of the streets": a child raised in poverty or on the streets.

  • The orphan was a bantling of the streets, surviving by his wits. (The child grew up homeless and resourceful in the urban environment.)

• "to nurse a bantling": to care for or raise a young child.

  • The elderly woman took it upon herself to nurse the bantling after its mother fell ill. (She assumed the responsibility of caring for the infant.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bantling (n) is primarily used as a standalone term; no common variants exist. It is related to bant (v, rare) meaning to make a child or to bear children.

Synonyms

• Child: a young human being.
• Infant: a very young child or baby.
• Toddler: a young child who is just beginning to walk.
• Nursling: a child who is still being nursed or cared for.

Related Idioms

• "bantling of fortune": a child who is lucky or born into favourable circumstances.

  • The prince was a bantling of fortune, inheriting the throne at birth. (The prince was fortunate from the start of his life.)

• "bantling of sorrow": a child born from or associated with grief or hardship.

  • The war orphan was a bantling of sorrow, marked by loss. (The child’s birth was tied to tragedy.)