ling
1Origin of ling
1Other definitions for ling (2 of 5)
Origin of ling
2Other definitions for ling (3 of 5)
Other definitions for ling (4 of 5)
Origin of -ling
2Other definitions for ling (5 of 5)
WORDS THAT USE -LING
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.
Examples of -ling with the sense “one concerned with” or "little"
One example of a word that features –ling in the sense of “little” is princeling, “a young prince.”
The prince– part of the word means, naturally, “prince,” a non-reigning male member of a royal family. As we have seen, –ling means “little.” Princeling literally means “little prince.”
What are some words that use the equivalent of the suffix –ling in Middle or Old English?
What are some other forms that –ling may be commonly confused with?
Not every word that ends with the exact letters –ling, such as buckling or quisling, is necessarily using the suffix –ling to denote “one concerned with” or “little.” Learn why quisling means “traitor” at our entry for the word.
Break it down!
The offspring of a goose is known as a gosling. Given the meaning of –ling, what does gosling literally mean?
Examples of -ling with the sense “direction” or "state of being"
A word that uses the suffix –ling to indicate a state of being is darkling, an adverb meaning “in the dark.” Darkling comes from late Middle English derkeling, which features the equivalent of –ling in that language.
The dark– part of the word here literally means “having very little or no light.” The suffix –ling in this term indicates a state of being. Darkling literally means “the state of having very little or no light.”
What are some words that use the suffix –ling?
- flatling (using the equivalent form of –ling in Middle English)
- groundling
- groveling
- sideling (using the equivalent form of –ling in Middle English)
What are some other forms that -ling may be commonly confused with?
Break it down!
Given the meaning of –ling to indicate a sense of direction, what does sideling mean?