Hatchling
/ˈhætʃ.lɪŋ/noun
A young bird or reptile that has recently emerged from an egg.
Did you know?The core verb hatch is tied to the idea of an egg being “opened” or “split,” and the same old root family also gave English hatch in the sense of a door or opening—language kept the image of emergence alive.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hakkōjaną
“to hack, cut, or chop”
Old English
OE
hæccian
“to hatch or bring forth from an egg”
Middle English
ME
hachen
“to hatch, especially birds”
15th Century
English
hatching
“the action of emerging from an egg”
Modern English
English
hatchling
“a newly hatched young animal”