ling

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

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɪŋ/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Etymology 1

Middle English lenge, lienge. Probably related to long.

Noun

ling (countable and uncountable, plural lings or ling)

1. Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva, resembling the cod.
2. A common ling (Molva molva).

Derived terms

• blue ling (Molva dypterygia)
• common ling (Molva molva)

Translations

Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva

• Catalan: llengua de bacallà (ca) f
• Czech: mník (cs) m
• Dutch: leng (nl) m
• Faroese: longa f
• Finnish: molva (fi)
• French: lotte (fr) f
• Galician: maruca (gl) f

• Icelandic: langa (is) f
• Irish: langa (ga) m, bod mór (ga) m
• Maori: hoka, hokarari
• Old Norse: langa f
• Spanish: maruca f
• Swedish: långa (sv) c

Molva molva — see common ling

Etymology 2

From Middle English lyng, from Old Norse lyng.

Noun

ling (countable and uncountable, plural lings or ling)

1. Any of various varieties of heather or broom.
   1. Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)
      • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, H.L. Brækstad, transl., Folk and Fairy Tales, page 28:

        I was sitting by a path on a tussock between some bushes, whence I could overlook the path and a little valley to which it led down, and where nothing but ling and heather grew.

Translations

Any of various varieties of heather or broom

• Bulgarian: калуна f (kaluna)
• Catalan: bruguerola f
• Czech: vřes m
• Finnish: kanerva (fi) (heather)
• German: Besenheide (de) f
• Irish: fraoch m

• Italian: brugo m
• Middle English: lyng
• Scottish Gaelic: fraoch m
• Swedish: ljung (sv) c
• Welsh: grug (cy) f

Etymology 3

Noun

ling (uncountable)

1. (informal) Clipping of linguistics.

Anagrams

• lign-

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Albanian

Etymology

From Proto-Albanian *linga, from Proto-Indo-European *leig-. Compare English lark (“to frolic”), Lithuanian láigyti (“to run around wildly”), Ancient Greek ἐλελίζω (elelízō, “to whirl around”).

Noun

ling m (definite singular lingu)

1. quick gait, trot
2. hurry, haste, rush

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Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish lingid.

Verb

ling (present analytic lingeann, future analytic lingfidh, verbal noun lingeadh, past participle lingthe) (transitive, intransitive)

1. (literary) leap, spring
2. jump at, attack
3. start back, shrink away from (with ó (“from”))

Conjugation

First Conjugation (A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	lingim	lingeann tú; lingir†	lingeann sé, sí	lingimid	lingeann sibh	lingeann siad; lingid†	a lingeann; a lingeas	lingtear
	past	ling mé; lingeas	ling tú; lingis	ling sé, sí	lingeamar; ling muid	ling sibh; lingeabhair	ling siad; lingeadar	a ling / ar ling*	lingeadh
	past habitual	linginn	lingteá	lingeadh sé, sí	lingimis; lingeadh muid	lingeadh sibh	lingidís; lingeadh siad	a lingeadh / a lingeadh*	lingtí
	future	lingfidh mé; lingfead	lingfidh tú; lingfir†	lingfidh sé, sí	lingfimid; lingfidh muid	lingfidh sibh	lingfidh siad; lingfid†	a lingfidh; a lingfeas	lingfear
conditional		lingfinn	lingfeá	lingfeadh sé, sí	lingfimis; lingfeadh muid	lingfeadh sibh	lingfidís; lingfeadh siad	a lingfeadh / a lingfeadh*	lingfí
subjunctive	present	go linge mé; go lingead†	go linge tú; go lingir†	go linge sé, sí	go lingimid; go linge muid	go linge sibh	go linge siad; go lingid†	—	go lingtear
	past	dá linginn	dá lingteá	dá lingeadh sé, sí	dá lingimis; dá lingeadh muid	dá lingeadh sibh	dá lingidís; dá lingeadh siad	—	dá lingtí
imperative		lingim	ling	lingeadh sé, sí	lingimis	lingigí; lingidh†	lingidís	—	lingtear
verbal noun		lingeadh
past participle		lingthe

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form

Derived terms

• lingchlár (“springboard; spring balance”)
• lingeach (“springy”, adjective)
• lingeacht (“springiness”)
• lingeán (“spring”, noun)
• lingmheatán (“spring balance”)

 

References

• "ling" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “lingid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “ling” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.

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Mandarin

Romanization

ling

1. Nonstandard spelling of līng.
2. Nonstandard spelling of líng.
3. Nonstandard spelling of lǐng.
4. Nonstandard spelling of lìng.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɪŋɡ

Noun

ling m

1. leg, foot

See also

• pî

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [liŋɡ]

Verb

ling

1. inflection of linge:
   1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. third-person plural present indicative