lambkin

English

Etymology

From lamb +‎ -kin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlæmkɪn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: lamb‧kin

Noun

lambkin (plural lambkins)

1. A young lamb, a very young sheep.
   • 1781, Richard Hole, Homer's Hymn to Ceres, Exeter: B. Thorn & Son, p. 38:

     A lambkin’s snowy fleece

   • 1785, William Cowper, “Book I. The Sofa.”, in The Task, a Poem, […], London: […] J[oseph] Johnson;  […], →OCLC, page 3:

     There might ye ſee the pioney ſpread vvide, / The full-blovvn roſe, the ſhepherd and his laſs, / Lap-dog and lambkin vvith black ſtaring eyes, / And parrots vvith tvvin cherries in their beak.

2. A term of endearment.
   • 1599 (date written), [William Shakespeare], The Cronicle History of Henry the Fift, […] (First Quarto), London: […] Thomas Creede, for Tho[mas] Millington, and Iohn Busby […], published 1600, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], signature B2, verso:

     Let vs condoll the knight: for lamkins vve vvill liue.

   • 1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, Duckworth, page 28:

     She has no real cognisance, dear lambkin, of anything at all.

Translations

young lamb

• Belarusian: ягня́ n (jahnjá), ягнё n (jahnjó), бара́нчык m (baránčyk) (male)
• Bulgarian: а́гънце n (ágǎnce), а́гне (bg) n (ágne)
• Czech: jehňátko (cs) n, beránek (cs) m (male)
• Dutch: lammetje (nl) n
• Faroese: smálamb n
• French: agnelet (fr) m
• German: Lämmchen (de) n
• Hungarian: bárányka (hu)
• Irish: uainín m
• Italian: agnellino (it) m
• Latin: agnellus (la) m
• Macedonian: јагне n (jagne)
• Polish: jagniątko (pl) n, baranek (pl) m (male)
• Russian: ягнёнок (ru) m (jagnjónok), бара́шек (ru) m (barášek) (male)
• Slovak: jahňa n, baránok m (male)
• Spanish: corderito (es) m, corderillo m
• Ukrainian: ягня́ (uk) n (jahnjá), ягня́тко (uk) n (jahnjátko), бара́нчик (uk) m (baránčyk) (male)
• Welsh: oenig f, oenyn m, oenan m or f