fledgling

UK/ˈflɛd͡ʒ.lɪŋ/US/ˈflɛd͡ʒ.lɪŋ/

nounB2+Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,310 of 15,258leans written

Other forms: fledglings

A fledgling is a young bird just grown enough to leave the nest. A fledgling on the lawn, feed the fledgling, fledglings calling.

One found on the ground is usually fine and being fed by its parents nearby, so picking it up does harm rather than good. The figurative use means new and untested, as in a fledgling business.

Definitions of fledgling

1nounfledglingA young bird just grown enough to leave the nest.B2+
“We watched the fledglings make their first clumsy flights from the nest in the hedge.”

fledgling is a bird.

Where it comes from

From fledge + -ling.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in Birds

Practise this word

fledgling in the wild

A young bird that has recently fledged but is still dependent upon parental care and feeding is called a fledgling.
Fledge
People often want to help fledglings, as they appear vulnerable, but it is best to leave them alone.
Fledge
When Dan Beard joined the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) in 1910 as one of their national Scout commissioners, he merged his group into the fledgling BSA.
Sons of Daniel Boone
Kirby agreed to create a comic for the fledgling publisher because Pacific promised him full creative control, and ownership of the characters.
Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers
The awards were introduced in 1972 to encourage the fledgling film industry of the country.
32nd Bachsas Awards

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

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