changeling background

changeling

/ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒlɪŋ/

Illustration changeling - Image 1

noun

Changeon, enfant échangé

In pre-modern European mythology, an infant that was secretly exchanged for a mother's own baby by an evil creature. (In British, Irish and Scandinavian mythology the exchanged infants were thought to be those of fairies, sprites or trolls; in other places, they were ascribed to witches, devils, or demons.)

Examples :

"Old wives told stories of a neighbor's child being a changeling, claiming that the baby, sickly and strange, had been swapped with a fairy child in the cradle. "

Les vieilles femmes racontaient des histoires selon lesquelles l'enfant d'un voisin était un changeon, affirmant que le bébé, maladif et étrange, avait été échangé contre un enfant de fée dans le berceau.

mythology religion supernatural story tradition culture inhuman

Illustration changeling - Image 1

noun

Enfant échangé

An infant secretly exchanged with another infant by mistake or by human doing; swapling.

Examples :

"Rumors spread through the village that the sickly baby found on the doorstep was a changeling, swapped for the family's healthy newborn. "

Des rumeurs se répandirent dans le village selon lesquelles le bébé maladif trouvé sur le pas de la porte était un enfant échangé, substitué au nouveau-né en bonne santé de la famille.

mythology literature religion family culture supernatural

Illustration changeling - Image 1

noun

Métamorphe, changeforme

An organism which can change shape to mimic others.

Examples :

"In the science fiction story, the alien was a changeling, able to perfectly copy the appearance of anyone it met. "

Dans l'histoire de science-fiction, l'extraterrestre était un changeforme, capable de copier parfaitement l'apparence de toute personne qu'il rencontrait.

organism mythology biology supernatural being inhuman literature character animal nature story

Illustration changeling - Image 1

noun

Simple d'esprit, idiot

A simpleton; an idiot.

Examples :

"He acted like a complete changeling, staring blankly when asked simple questions. "

Il s'est comporté comme un parfait idiot, regardant fixement quand on lui posait des questions simples.

character person mind human being

Illustration changeling - Image 1

noun

Quelqu'un d'inconstant, un hésitant

One apt to change; a waverer.

Examples :

"Because Sarah couldn't commit to a major, her advisor jokingly called her a changeling, always switching between art, history, and biology. "

Comme Sarah n'arrivait pas à se décider pour une filière, son conseiller l'a appelée en plaisantant une personne inconstante, toujours à basculer entre l'art, l'histoire et la biologie.

character person tendency attitude mind