æþeling

See also: ætheling

Old English

Alternative forms

• æðeling (edh spelling)
• eþeling (Mercian)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-West Germanic *aþuling, from Proto-Germanic *aþulingaz (“prince, nobleman”). Equivalent to æþele +‎ -ing.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ.θe.linɡ/, [ˈæ.ðe.liŋɡ]

Noun

æþeling m

1. prince

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:þeoden

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Life of St. Edmund"

     Hinguar þā becōm tō Ēastenglum rōwende on þām ġēare þe Ælfred æðeling ān and twēntiġ ġēare wæs, sē þe Westseaxena cyning siþþan wearþ mǣre.

     Ivar the Boneless came rowing to East Anglia the year that Prince Alfred, who would later become the great king of Wessex, turned twenty-one.

   • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

     An. DCCCC.LXXVIII Hēr on þyssum ġēare wearð Ēadweard cyning ġemartyrad, ⁊ Æþelrēd æþeling his brōðor feng tō þām rīċe.

     Year 978 In this year King Edward was martyred, and his brother Prince Athelred ascended to the throne.

2. (poetic) person

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	æþeling	æþelingas
accusative	æþeling	æþelingas
genitive	æþelinges	æþelinga
dative	æþelinge	æþelingum

Derived terms

• Æþelinga īeġ (“Athelney”)

Descendants

• Middle English: atheling
  • English: atheling
• →? Middle Welsh: edling, edlyg, etling (or from Middle English)
  • Welsh: edling, edlin
    • → English: edling