a young bird, reptile, or fish recently emerged from an egg
Word origin
[1895–1900; hatch1 + -ling1]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: backstage, flamenco, freewheel, neon, slapstick-ling is a suffix of nouns, often pejorative, denoting one concerned with (hireling; underling), or diminutive (princeling; duckling)
Examples of 'hatchling' in a sentence
hatchling
The hatchling iguanas running the gauntlet of hungry snakes.
The Sun (2016)
She paralyses them, so that they stay fresh for her hatchling larva to feast on.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Starting out as a tiny hatchling, this little dinosaur has a big future ahead of him.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
When the final hatchling reached the warm sea, we were left panting in the surf.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The projects it is supporting aim to protect turtle's nests on beaches and to increase hatchling survival rates.