yeanling
Definition
Noun: A yeanling is a young lamb or kid (a young goat). Specifically, it refers to the newborn offspring of a sheep or goat, typically within its first year of life.
Usage Examples
- (The shepherd moved the newborn lamb to a safe, warm place.)
- (The farmer monitored the young goat or lamb for health.)
- (The young animal's fur is soft and warm.)
Advanced Usage
- "Yeanling season": the period during which sheep or goats give birth.
- The spring rains brought an early yeanling season for the flock. (The time of lambing or kidding began early due to weather conditions.)
- "Yeanling mortality": the rate of death among newborn lambs or kids.
- Proper nutrition for the ewes reduced yeanling mortality significantly. (Better feeding of mother sheep decreased deaths among newborns.)
Variants and Related Words
- Yean (verb): to give birth to a lamb or kid.
- The ewe will yean in the coming weeks. (The female sheep will give birth soon.)
- Yeanling (adjective): relating to or characteristic of a newborn lamb or kid.
- The yeanling bleat was faint but persistent. (The sound made by the newborn lamb was soft but continuous.)
Synonyms
- Lamb: a young sheep, especially one under one year old.
- Kid: a young goat.
- Newborn: a recently born animal of any species.
- Offspring: the young of an animal.
Related Idioms
- "Like a yeanling to the fold": describing someone who is new, vulnerable, or in need of protection.
- The new intern came to the office like a yeanling to the fold, eager but inexperienced. (The new employee was vulnerable and needed guidance.)