gosling
UK /ˈɡɒzlɪŋ/ · US /ˈɡɑzlɪŋ/ noun, proper noun
Forms goslings goslin
- noun A young goose.
- noun An inexperienced and immature, or foolish and naive, young person.
- noun (dated) A catkin on willows, nut trees, and pines.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Late Middle English goslyng (“gosling”), alteration (due to Middle English goos (“goose”)) of earlier gesling (“gosling”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse gæsling, géslingr (“gosling”), from gás (“goose”) + -lingr (“-ling”), equivalent to goose + -ling. Cognate with Danish gæsling (“gosling”), Swedish gässling (“gosling”). Compare also Low German gossel, gössel (“gosling”), German Gänslein (“gosling”).
* As an English surname, spelling variant of Joslin.
* Also as an English surname, from Middle English gosling (“young goose”), partly borrowed from Old Norse gæslingr; equivalent to modern goose + -ling.
* As a German surname, from a personal name based on gut (“good”).
Webster’s 1913
Etymology [AS. g goose + -ling.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “gosling”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details