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• ling
  ling

  noun

  an elongated, marine, gadid food fish, Molva molva, of Greenland and northern Europe.
• -ling
  -ling

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

  abbreviation

  linguistics.

ling

¹ American  

[ling] / lɪŋ /

noun

lings plural

1. an elongated, marine, gadid food fish, Molva molva, of Greenland and northern Europe.

2. the burbot.

3. any of various other elongated food fishes.

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ling ² American  

[ling] / lɪŋ /

noun

1. the heather, Calluna vulgaris.

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-ling ³ American  

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

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-ling ⁴ American  

1. an adverbial suffix expressing direction, position, state, etc..

   darkling; sideling.

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ling. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. linguistics.

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-ling ¹ British  

suffix

1. derogatory a person or thing belonging to or associated with the group, activity, or quality specified

   nestling

   underling

2. used as a diminutive

   duckling

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ling ² British  

/ lɪŋ /

noun

1. any of several gadoid food fishes of the northern coastal genus Molva, esp M. molva, having an elongated body with long fins

2. another name for burbot

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-ling ³ British  

suffix

1. in a specified condition, manner, or direction

   darkling

   sideling

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ling ⁴ British  

/ lɪŋ /

noun

1. another name for heather

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ling. ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. linguistics

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Usage

What does -ling mean? The suffix -ling has two distinct senses. The first of these senses is to form nouns meaning “one concerned with” and/or "little." This form of -ling is occasionally used in a variety of everyday terms. It is sometimes used to be pejorative or insulting. The suffix -ling comes from Old English, in which it was used to create nouns meaning "one concerned with."The second of these senses is to form adverbs describing direction, position, or state of being. This form of -ling is very rarely used in a variety of obscure terms. The suffix -ling in this sense comes from Old English -ling, in which it was used to indicate direction.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lingy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• lings
  plural
• ling
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ling¹

1250–1300; Middle English ling, lenge; cognate with Dutch leng; akin to long ¹, Old Norse langa

Origin of ling²

1325–75; Middle English lyng < Old Norse lyng

Origin of -ling³

Middle English, Old English; cognate with German -ling, Old Norse -lingr, Gothic -lings; see -le, -ing ¹

Origin of -ling⁴

Middle English, Old English; adv. use of gradational variant lang long ¹

Example Sentences

So here we are, almost 20 years later, are people greeting you normally or as your Mei Ling nail salon character like, “Hiiii honeyyy?”

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

This investigation builds on earlier work connected to the Maritime Encounters program and other archaeological projects led by Professor Johan Ling at the University of Gothenburg.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

“Not enough points,” quipped Lily Ling, 40, a Broadway musician.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

In an update, it added that it had also set up a help desk at the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and a hotline for assistance and public enquiries.

From BBC • Nov. 26, 2025

And then she would give May Ling her bottle and put her to bed.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng