foundling

/'faudliɳ/

Thân thiện

A kind woman discovers a foundling wrapped in a blanket on the church steps.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An abandoned child whose parents are unknown: A foundling is a child who has been deserted by their parents and left in a public place, with no information available about their identity or family background. Historically, foundlings were often left at churches, hospitals, or other institutions.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The kind couple decided to adopt the foundling left on the steps of the orphanage.
  • In the 18th century, many European cities established foundling hospitals to care for abandoned infants.

Advanced Usage

• "Foundling wheel": A historical revolving device, often set into the wall of a hospital or convent, where a baby could be placed anonymously and then rotated inside to safety.
  • The nun heard the bell ring, signaling that a baby had been placed in the foundling wheel.

Variants and Related Words

• Foundling hospital (n): A charitable institution historically established to care for abandoned infants.
  • The records from the old foundling hospital provided clues for many people searching for their biological roots.

Synonyms

• Abandoned child: A child who has been deserted.
• Waif: A homeless, neglected, or abandoned child, often implying thinness or fragility.
• Orphan: A child whose parents are dead. (Note: A foundling's parents are unknown, not necessarily deceased.)

Related Phrases

• To be left a foundling: To be abandoned as an infant.
  • The story revealed that the hero had been left a foundling on a cold winter's night.

Học thuật

Noun

1. a child who has been abandoned and whose parents are unknown

Từ đồng nghĩa

• abandoned infant