changeling

• Ein Kind, das der Sage nach von Feen oder anderen übernatürlichen Wesen heimlich gegen ein Menschenkind vertauscht wurde; auch ein Mensch, der als fremdartig, andersartig oder fehl am Platz gilt.

A noun referring to a child believed to have been secretly exchanged by fairies or other supernatural beings for the parents' real child, or a person regarded as being different or out of place.

1. Exchanged childB2formal

   A child believed to have been secretly swapped by fairies or supernatural beings for another, often left in place of a human infant.

   Wechselbalg

   • In folklore, a changeling was often sickly or strange in behavior.
   • The old tale tells of a mother who suspected her baby was a changeling.
   • Stories of changelings were used to explain childhood illnesses in medieval times.

2. Person with low intelligenceC1informal

   An outdated and offensive term for a person considered to have subnormal intelligence or mental capacity.

   Schwachsinniger

   • The term changeling was historically used as an insult for someone perceived as slow-witted.
   • He was cruelly called a changeling by his peers because of his learning difficulties.
   • Using changeling to describe a person's intelligence is now considered highly derogatory.

   Synonymeidiotimbecilemoronsimpleton