Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

darling

 - 6 dictionary results

dar⋅ling

[dahr-ling]
–noun
1. a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.
2. (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address.
3. a person or thing in great favor; a favorite: She was the darling of café society.
–adjective
4. very dear; dearly loved: my darling child.
5. favorite; cherished.
6. Informal. charming; cute; lovable: What a darling baby!

Origin:
bef. 900; ME derling, OE dēorling. See dear, -ling 1


dar⋅ling⋅ly, adverb
dar⋅ling⋅ness, noun

Dar⋅ling

[dahr-ling]
–noun
Jay Nor⋅wood [nawr-wood] , (“Ding”), 1876–1962, U.S. political cartoonist.

Darling River

–noun
a river in SE Australia, flowing SW into the Murray River. 1160 mi. (1870 km). long.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To darling
dar·ling   (där'lĭng)   
n.  
  1. A dearly beloved person.

  2. One that is greatly liked or preferred; a favorite: "the pride and vanity of the rich, the darlings of fate" (Mario Puzo).

adj.  
  1. Dearly beloved.

  2. Regarded with special favor; favorite: "Metaphysics and poetry . . . are my darling studies" (Samuel Taylor Coleridge).

  3. Informal Charming or amusing: a darling hat.


[Middle English dereling, from Old English dēorling : dēore, dear + -ling, diminutive suff.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

darling 
O.E. deorling, double dim. of deor "dear." The vowel shift from -e- to -a- (16c.) is usual for -er- followed by a consonant. "It is better to be An olde mans derlyng, than a yong mans werlyng" (1562).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Bible Dictionary

Darling

Ps. 22:20; 35:17) means an "only one."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Search another word or see darling on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: