Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A young animal, such as a lamb or calf, fattened for slaughter.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A lamb, kid, or other young animal fattened for slaughter; a fat animal: applied to quadrupeds the flesh of which is used for food.
  • Fat; fleshy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A calf, lamb, kid, or other young animal fattened for slaughter; a fat animal; -- said of such animals as are used for food.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A young animal (especially a calf or lamb) which has been fattened for slaughter.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

fat +‎ -ling

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Examples

  • "The fatling which is the 'head-raiser' of mankind --

    The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Theophilus Goldridge Pinches 1895

  • "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

    Militant 7-year-old vegetarians - Health - Macleans.ca 2010

  • Strangers, who wear sunglasses at night, will look at them on the street with all the familiarity of a wolf watching a fatling bunny rabbit.

    Archive 2007-10-01 2007

  • The calf and the lion and the fatling will be together and a child will lead them.

    Isaiah, the Prince of Protest « Dating Jesus 2009

  • In addition to his artistic endeavors, Hicks was also a Quaker minister, which explains the consistent religious themes in his work and the theme of the painting, which was taken from the Book of Isaiah: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

    Kingdom Sum Artfact.com Jonathan Fairbanks 2006

  • They accompanied themselves with castanets, and, though the little fatling toed in and wore a common dress of blue-striped gingham, I am afraid she won our hearts from her graceful rival.

    Familiar Spanish Travels 2004

  • The full text reads: “The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

    The wolf shall also dwell with the lamb 2002

  • “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them,” she recited.

    Honey V.C. Andrews 2001

  • ¶ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

    Isaiah 11. 1999

  • Cancut was a jolly fatling, -- almost too fat, if he will pardon me, for sitting in the stern of the imponderable canoe.

    The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 10, No. 59, September, 1862 Various

Comments

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  • "And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,

    And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,

    And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;

    And a little boy will lead them."

    - Isaiah 11:6, New American Standard Bible.

    November 9, 2008