What does eagling mean?
Eagling is a noun for a young eagle. The word is uncommon in contemporary English and has a literary or archaic flavour, so a writer may choose it where eaglet would be more familiar and direct. In descriptive or figurative writing, it can evoke a young bird in the nest, suggesting youth, vulnerability, and unrealized potential, while its literal meaning remains simply a young eagle. Eagling is formed from eagle with the noun-forming suffix -ing, following the productive English pattern used for offspring and young animals, as in duckling. The ending here does not describe an action, so eagling is not a present participle. In modern prose, eaglet is usually the more natural term, while eagling is worth knowing for older writing and for the distinctive literary tone it creates.
nounA young eagle; a nestling eagle.
- A young eagle, especially one still associated with the nest.
"The keeper watched as the eagling stretched its wings above the nest."
"A single eagling called from the nest as the storm approached."
"The naturalist's account described the eagling's first clumsy flight."
The regular plural is uncommon because the word itself is rare.
"Two eaglings were visible in the nest."
Despite its -ing ending, an eagling is not an eagle in the act of doing something—it is simply a young eagle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eagling
Eagling was formed in English from eagle and the noun-forming suffix -ing, a productive pattern for denoting a young animal or offspring. Eagle itself came through Old French from Latin aquila, the word for an eagle. The related English adjective aquiline and Latin aquila belong to the same ancient source.
How eagling is actually used
Eagling is a rare literary or archaic noun. In modern English, eaglet is normally more natural.
Easily confused with eagling
Both words mean a young eagle, but eaglet is the usual modern term, while eagling is rarer and more literary.