Little

This was a morning of TWO baby robins. This one was quite brave.

I realise how much I like the word "little". I talk about my "little trees" and I think of "little birds" and I call the annoying cat "Littlest One".

The word little seems to trigger compassion, the way that large eyes and a round face do for most people. Maybe it's the other way around. That compassion triggers the word little.

Why little rather than small? It's the sound, I think. But then brittle and spittle and litter and glitter don't elicit the same effect. Nor does tiny, though teeny and wee almost do.

In Devon, people refer to daughters or younger women as little maids, or rather "my little maid". And I like that. My brother has used it about me and when I almost got a Dartmoor filly, I wanted to call her Little Maid, and Maidy for short.

Maiden is a lovely word, though it's sad that maid has other connotations.

In cricket, a "maiden over" is one in which no runs are scored. A maiden voyage. These bring in the idea of virginity, but I don't think that maiden HAS to imply virginity... it just does now. They used to talk of "losing her maidenhood". Maybe it did originally have that meaning, then, and in Devon, or with the idea of a "milkmaid" it lost it? Maiden name - that's of course another...

A look at etymology and the roots were largely related to young or unmarried girl. Of course then the assumption would be a virgin, but that's assumed only, really.

Anyway. Two little robins today, though I photographed only one.