darling
[dahr-ling]
- a person very dear to another; one dearly loved.
- (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar term of address.
- a person or thing in great favor; a favorite: She was the darling of café society.
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- very dear; dearly loved: my darling child.
- favorite; cherished.
- Informal. charming; cute; lovable: What a darling baby!
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Origin of darling
Darling
[dahr-ling]
- Jay Nor·wood [nawr-woo d] /ˈnɔr wʊd/, Ding, 1876–1962, U.S. political cartoonist.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for darling
Contemporary Examples
Kerry Washington - Scandal Is there room for only one Shonda Rhimes darling in Best Actress in a Drama?
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & MoreKevin Fallon
December 11, 2014
Take Joni Ernst, a GOP darling now favored to be the next senator from Iowa.
I'm going to use it to stop all arguments in the future, about anything: "Can't make dinner tonight, darling, children might die."
But Darling makes it very clear that this is not just a show about a pop star, no matter how much buzz his name generates.
LSD, an illicit drug with a serious stigma, was once the darling of the psychotherapy world.
Historical Examples
She was saying in a thick, soft voice, "It was wrong of you, my darling."
Life and Death of Harriett FreanMay Sinclair
You don't know, darling, the wickedness of that villainous baggage.
The Imaginary InvalidMolire
All the regret I shall have, if I die, my darling, will be to have no child from you.
The Imaginary InvalidMolire
Go, my darling; call upon the notary, and tell him to be quick about you know what.
The Imaginary InvalidMolire
She said, 'Do what you like, darling, but don't worry me about it!'
The Foolish LoversSt. John G. Ervine
darling
- a person very much loved: often used as a term of address
- a favouritethe teacher's darling
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- beloved
- much admired; pleasinga darling hat
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Word Origin
Old English dēorling; see dear, -ling 1
Darling
- Grace. 1815–42, English national heroine, famous for her rescue (1838) of some shipwrecked sailors with her father, a lighthouse keeper
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for darling
Old English deorling "darling, favorite minion," double diminutive of deor "dear" (see dear (adj.)). 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).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper