moonling

Noun

moonling (plural moonlings)

1. (archaic) A simpleton; a lunatic.
   • I have a husband, and a two-legg'd one, But such a moonling, as no wit of man, Or roses can redeem from being an ass.1616, The Devil is an Ass
   • Of the members composing this household, there are but two of whom it will be necessary to speak in this connection; and these are the moonling, or simpleton, and the sister of the wife.1854, The Bride of the Wilderness, page 13
2. (archaic, poetic) One who is lovesick; one who moons over a beloved.
   • The sky was not quite as blue as her—Thunderation, he was no moonling!2011, Barbara Metzger, A Suspicious Affair
   • Remaining there long enough to hear Those words that moonling longs to hear...I love you2013, Zara Borthwick, Nicholas Arnold, Wonderful, page 55
3. A changeling.
   • "I see. He's a black man. But Jacob Millhaven is not black. Eldridge was left on his doorstep as a baby, and the philosopher adopted him." "Oh! Then he's a moonling! He doesn't seem to suffer from any stigma."2011, M. P. Rogers, Oona Paraselene, page 140
4. Someone from the Moon.
   • A shy moonling hangs on the suit of an astronaut and is taken back to earth.1981, Ruth Beall Heinig, Lyda Stillwell, Creative Drama for the Classroom Teacher, page 248
   • For a given walking speed, will an earthling astronaut or a moonling do less, equal, or more work when taking a stroll on the Moon, and by what factor?2010, Michael M. Domach, Introduction to Biomedical Engineering, page 204