English Dictionary

gosling

/ɡɒzlɪŋ/

noun

A young goose. / A inexperienced and immature, or foolish and naive, young person. / (dated) A catkin on willows, nut trees, and pines.

I saw a gosling swimming in the pond.

意味（1）

A young goose.

Marta's gander was a magnificent snow-white bird: the object of terror to foxes, children and dogs. She had reared him as a gosling; and whenever he approached, he would let fly a low contented burble and sidle his neck around her thighs.

意味（2）

A inexperienced and immature, or foolish and naive, young person.

Two stout woodmen with difficulty cut down this tree, the chips of which flew far and wide about the hall; but at my command my two green goslings carried away the fragments without any difficulty.

意味（3）

(dated) A catkin on willows, nut trees, and pines.

These Aments (we must no longer call them catkins) are composed both of male and female flowers; what Henry calls goslings in spring are the Aments of the willow tree ; his green goslings are female Aments , and , when mature , have the appearance of little tufts of wool, which appearance is caused by the downy material that crowns their feeds;