fledgling
/ˈflɛdʒlɪŋ
/(also fledgeling)
noun
1A young bird that has just fledged.Only female hummingbirds are involved in parental care; they must incubate eggs, brood young hatchlings, and feed the chicks as nestlings and fledglings....
- Scores of rare adult birds, fledglings and unhatched chicks are feared to have died when fire - which is being treated as suspicious - swept through reedbeds yesterday.
- In monogamous species, both the male and female build the nest, incubate eggs, brood young and feed nestlings and fledglings.
Synonyms
chick, baby bird, nestling
1.1 [usually as modifier] A person or organization that is immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped: the country’s fledgling democracy...
- We'll hear from both sides and review the changes ahead for this fledgling democracy.
- Asia's fledgling democracies should not despair just because things are messy at the moment.
- You are the leader of the opposition in this emerging, fledgling democracy.
Synonyms
emerging, emergent, arising, sunrise, dawning, beginning;
developing, in the making, budding, rising, burgeoning, growing, embryonic, infant, nascent, incipient;
promising, potential, up-and-coming
Origin
Mid 19th century: from the obsolete adjective fledge (see fledge), on the pattern of nestling.