Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CHANGE'LING, n. [change and ling. It is said this word originated in a superstitious opinion that fairies steal children and put others that are ugly and stupid in their places. Johnson.]

1. A child left or taken in the place of another. – Spenser.
2. An idiot; a fool. – Dryden. Locke.
3. One apt to change; a waverer. – Shak.
4. Any thing changed and put in the place of another. – Shak.