-ling

See also: ling, líng, lìng, līng, and lǐng

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English -ling, from Old English -ling, from Proto-Germanic *-lingaz, a nominal suffix, probably composed of Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (agent/instrumental/diminutive suffix) + Proto-Germanic *-ingaz (patronymic suffix). Akin to Dutch -ling, German -ling, Icelandic -lingur, Gothic -𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (-liggs) (in 𐌲𐌰𐌳𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (gadiliggs)). More at -le, -ing.

Alternative forms

• -lyng (obsolete)
• -lin (dialectal)

Suffix

-ling

1. small, immature, miniature
2. follower or resident

Derived terms

terms derived from -ling: Diminutive

• buckling
• castling
• darling
• daughterling
• doeling
• duckling

• fatling
• fingerling
• fledgling
• fondling
• godling
• gosling

• lordling, lording
• pigling
• princeling
• spiderling
• sportling
• vechling

terms derived from -ling: Quality

• cageling
• changeling
• darkling
• earthling
• firstling
• foundling
• hatchling

• hireling
• kindling
• nestling
• overling
• ridgeling
• sapling

• seedling
• shaveling
• starveling
• stripling
• suckling
• underling

• weakling
• wildling
• witling
• wordling
• yearling
• youngling

Translations

Diminutive

• Breton: -ig (br) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 小 (zh) (xiǎo-), 崽 (zh) (-zǎi), -子 (zh) (-zi)

• Dutch: -je (nl), -pje (nl), -tje (nl), -ling (nl)
• Finnish: -nen (fi), -lainen (fi)
• French: -et (fr) m, -ette (fr) f, -in (fr) m, -ine (fr) f
• Galician: -iño m, iña f
• German: -chen (de), -lein (de), -ling (de), -erl (de)
• Irish: -án m, -ín m, -óg f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: -ino (it) m, -ina f, -etto m, -etta f, -ello m, -ella f
• Japanese: 子 (ja) (こ, ko-)
• Portuguese: -inho (pt)
• Romanian: -el, -șor, -uț, -uș, -aș (ro)
• Russian: -ёнок (ru) m (-jónok), -о́нок (ru) m (-ónok), -ок (ru) (-ok), -ёк (-jók)
• Scottish Gaelic: -an m, -ag f
• Spanish: -ito (es) m, -ita (es) f, -illo (es) m, -illa (es) f
• Swedish: -is (sv)
• Welsh: -ig f

Usage notes

Words ending in -ing derived from a root or stem terminating in -l or -le, such as dazzling, have usually only an accidental resemblance, although sometimes there is a connection, as in sidling, which derives from Middle English in this form, and which is also a present participle form of the modern English verb to sidle, which in itself is a back-formation from sidling.

Etymology 2

From Middle English -ling, from Old English -ling, -linga, -lunga (adverbial suffix). Compare -long.

Alternative forms

• -lings
• -lin (dialectal)

Suffix

-ling

1. An adverbial suffix denoting manner, direction or position.

Derived terms

terms derived from -ling: Adverb

• darkling
• flatling

• headling
• sideling
• sunderling

References

• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

See also

• -en
• -le
• -ock

English terms suffixed with -ling

Anagrams

• lign-

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Dutch

Etymology

From a rebracketing of nouns with an -ing suffix. See above (English).

Suffix

-ling m

1. A suffix that describes a person (or other creature) in terms of a place of origin or a quality, as defined by the root to which it is added.

Derived terms

• -lings - adverbs
• -linge f
• onderling - adjective
• plotseling - adjective

terms derived from -ling: Quality

• aardling m
• achtling m
• balling m
• banneling m
• beginneling m
• bekeerling m
• biechteling m
• boeteling m
• bokking m, from *bokkeling
• boreling m
• Bruggeling m
• dopeling m
• dorpeling m
• drenkeling m
• drieling m
• edeling m
• eersteling m
• ellendeling m
• eeuweling m
• ellendeling m
• engerling m
• excentriekeling m
• feesteling m
• hoveling m
• hoofdstedeling m
• huurling m
• inboorling m
• jaarling m
• jongeling m
• kamerling m
• kloosterling m
• krakeling m
• kwekeling m
• lamlendeling m
• lammeling m

• leerling m
• lieveling m
• loteling m
• machtswellusteling m
• medeleerling m
• naarling m
• negenling m
• nestling m
• noorderling m
• oosterling m
• opstandeling m
• smekeling m
• stedeling m
• sterveling m
• stommeling m
• tienling m
• tweeling m
• verstekeling m
• vierling m
• vijfling m
• vluchteling m
• volgeling m
• vondeling m
• vormeling m
• vreemdeling m
• westerling m
• wijdeling m
• wildeling m
• woesteling m
• zaailing m
• zendeling m
• zesling m
• zonderling m
• zuiderling m
• zuigeling m
• zwakkeling m

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German

Etymology

From Old High German -ling, from Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [lɪŋ]

• Audio

  (file)

Suffix

-ling m (genitive -linges or -lings, plural -linge, feminine -lingin)

1. Indicates possession of or connection with a quality or property, such as Schwächling (“weakling”) from schwach (“weak”) or Frühling (“the season Spring [which comes early]”) from früh (“early”).
2. A modifier of nouns, meaning a follower or resident of what is denoted by the stem form, such as Häftling from Haft.

Derived terms

German terms suffixed with -ling

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Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /linɡ/, [liŋɡ]

Etymology 1

From alteration of suffixal use of Old English lang (“long”)

Suffix

-ling

1. adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or position

   hinderling ― backwards

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz

Alternative forms

• -linc

Suffix

-ling

1. suffix used in forming personal nouns

   dēorling ― favorite, darling

   rǣpling ― prisoner, captive, criminal

2. suffix forming diminutives

   stærlinc ― starling

3. dynasty, lineage

   Icling ("dynasty of Icel" or "House of Icel"); Ætheling (House of Ethel)

Declension

Declension of -ling (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	-ling	-lingas
accusative	-ling	-lingas
genitive	-linges	-linga
dative	-linge	-lingum

Derived terms

Old English terms suffixed with -ling

Descendants

• Middle English: -ling
  • English: -ling, long (as in headlong)