swapling

noun

swapling

noun

Etymology From swap + -ling.

1

An infant or child secretly exchanged for another; changeling.

  • A fire was kept burning in front of this and swaplings were kept inside to "poke away" the wild animals, including bears (as Grandma recalled being told).1993, Huntington County, Indiana: History & Families, 1834-1993 - Page 330
  • The parents of the human girl child would scream when they found the swapling, cry out even louder than they were doing right now, and wail, and call for the queen's guard, and kneel in their churches, […]2011, Christopher Golden, The Monster's Corner:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.