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-ling

 - 5 dictionary results

-ling

1
a suffix of nouns, often pejorative, denoting one concerned with (hireling; underling), or diminutive (princeling; duckling).

Origin:
ME, OE; c. G -ling, ON -lingr, Goth -lings; see -le, -ing 1

-ling

2
an adverbial suffix expressing direction, position, state, etc.: darkling; sideling.

Origin:
ME, OE; adv. use of gradational var. lang long 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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-ling 1  
suff.  
  1. One connected with: worldling.

  2. One having a specified quality: underling.

  3. One that is young, small, or inferior: duckling.


[Middle English, from Old English.]
-ling 2  
suff.  In a specified direction, manner, or condition: darkling.

[Middle English, from Old English.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

-ling 
dim. suffix, 1314, from O.E. -ling a nominal suffix (not originally dim.), from P.Gmc. *-linga-; attested in historical Gmc. languages as a simple suffix, but probably representing a fusion of the suffixes represented by Eng. -le (cf. icicle, thimble, handle), O.E. -ol, -ul, -el; and -ing, suffix indicating "person or thing of a specific kind or origin; in masc. nouns also "son of" (cf. farthing, atheling, O.E. horing "adulterer, fornicator"). Both these suffixes had occasional dim. force, but this was only slightly evident in O.E. -ling and its equivalents in Gmc. languages except O.N., where it commonly was used as a dim, suffix, esp. in words designating the young of animals (e.g. gæslingr "gosling"). Thus it is possible that the dim. use that developed in M.E. is from O.N.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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