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Groundling

noun, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a benthic fish or bottom feeder, especially

    "In the pond behind the garden there were plenty of carp and groundlings."

  2. 2
    in Elizabethan theater: a playgoer in the cheap standing section wordnet
  3. 3
    Any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a benthic fish or bottom feeder, especially:; The spined loach (Cobitis taenia), weather loach (Misgurnus fossilis), or other member of the loaches.

    "The BEARDED-LOACH or GROUNDLING. Gobites Barbatula. It is a small fish about five inches long, bearded with six small Threads, three on each side"

  4. 4
    Any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a benthic fish or bottom feeder, especially:; The ringed plover, Charadrius hiaticula.
  5. 5
    Any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a benthic fish or bottom feeder, especially:; A dragonfly of the genus Brachythemis.
Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    Any of various plants or animals living on or near the ground, as a benthic fish or bottom feeder, especially:; A moth of the genus Condica
  2. 7
    An audience member in the cheap section (usually standing; originally in Elizabethan theater).

    "O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb-shows and noise."

  3. 8
    A person of uncultivated or uncultured taste. broadly

    "This is what the magnanimous National Liberal Federation have said in effect to the House of Lords, and what, it should seem, they innocently regard as likely to impress the Gladstonian groundling."

  4. 9
    One who is confined to the ground, especially

    "It is not the good workman that is wont to quarrel with his tools ; adminicular aids and clinging propensities are fit only for the groundling, the child who is unable to walk upright and must be fain to crawl and to creep on as he best may."

  5. 10
    One who is confined to the ground, especially:; A soldier who fights on the ground or serves as ground crew, as opposed to a seaman, pilot, etc. slang

    "The poor plodding groundling, helpless and impotent, is swooped upon at will, day and night, completely wiped out at the whim of the low- flying plane, which soars off leaving complete and utter destruction behind it!"

  6. 11
    One who is confined to the ground, especially:; A member of a race that lives primarily underground, such as a dwarf.

    "Simon noticed a groundling look intently at Walsingham's purse and nudge his mate."

  7. 12
    Adam, before eating the apple of knowledge of good and evil (emphasizing his creation from the ground).

    "It is not good for the groundling to be alone I will make for it a help as its counterpart (2.18)."

Etymology

From ground + -ling. Compare Old English grundling (“a groundling fish, grundel”).

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