ling

[ling]

noun, plural (especially collectively) ling, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) lings.

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

the burbot.

any of various other elongated food fishes.

Origin of ling

1250–1300; Middle English ling, lenge; cognate with Dutch leng; akin to long¹, Old Norse langa

ling

[ling]

noun

the heather, Calluna vulgaris.

Origin of ling

1325–75; Middle English lyng < Old Norse lyng

ling.

linguistics.

-ling

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

Origin of -ling

Middle English, Old English; cognate with German -ling, Old Norse -lingr, Gothic -lings; see -le, -ing¹

-ling

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

Origin of -ling

Middle English, Old English; adv. use of gradational variant lang long¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ling

Contemporary Examples of ling

Of Zamora, the children have always asked questions, which Winick and Ling try and answer as openly as possible.
Pedro Zamora, a Hero in the Real World
Tim Teeman
June 1, 2014
Winick and Ling still miss Zamora with a “sharp pang of grief.”
Pedro Zamora, a Hero in the Real World
Tim Teeman
June 1, 2014
Last week, the Hong Kong–based South China Morning Post revealed the driver was the son of senior official Ling Jihua.
China Roiled by Rumors and Questions About Absent Heir Apparent Xi Jinping
Melinda Liu
September 11, 2012
Police refused to name the driver—later reported to be Ling Gu, 23, the son of an influential ally of Chinese President Hu Jintao.
High Speed Scandal: Ferrari Incident Rocks China
Melinda Liu
September 5, 2012
Because of the dearth of wives, Ling says that trafficking of child brides is epidemic.
Biden’s Human-Rights Blunder
Kirsten Powers
August 24, 2011

Historical Examples of ling

The dragon possesses the most ling of all creatures (p. 64).
The Evolution of the Dragon
G. Elliot Smith
He hit Ling on the lower end of the breastbone, where his belly would be softest.
The Devil's Asteroid
Manly Wade Wellman
The plain was well-grassed, as high as Ling's knuckled knee.
The Devil's Asteroid
Manly Wade Wellman
Ling grimaced, but followed lest his companions think him afraid.
The Devil's Asteroid
Manly Wade Wellman
Ling had seemed so hairy, so misshapen, like a troll out of Gothic legends.
The Devil's Asteroid
Manly Wade Wellman

British Dictionary definitions for ling

ling

noun plural ling or lings

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

another name for burbot

Word Origin for ling

C13: probably from Low German; related to long 1

ling

noun

another name for heather (def. 1)

Derived Formslingy, adjective

Word Origin for ling

C14: from Old Norse lyng

ling.

abbreviation for

linguistics

-ling

suffix forming nouns

often derogatory a person or thing belonging to or associated with the group, activity, or quality specifiednestling; underling

used as a diminutiveduckling

Word Origin for -ling

Old English -ling, of Germanic origin; related to Icelandic -lingr, Gothic -lings

-ling

suffix forming adverbs

in a specified condition, manner, or directiondarkling; sideling

Word Origin for -ling

Old English -ling, adverbial suffix

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 ling

long, slender fish, c.1300, common Germanic, cf. Dutch leng, German Leng, Old Norse langa, probably ultimately related to long (adj.).

-ling

diminutive word-forming element, early 14c., from Old English -ling a nominal suffix (not originally diminutive), from Proto-Germanic *-linga-; attested in historical Germanic languages as a simple suffix, but probably representing a fusion of the suffixes represented by English -le (cf. icicle, thimble, handle), from Old English -ol, -ul, -el; and -ing, suffix indicating "person or thing of a specific kind or origin;" in masculine nouns also "son of" (cf. farthing, atheling, Old English horing "adulterer, fornicator").

Both these suffixes had occasional diminutive force, but this was only slightly evident in Old English -ling and its equivalents in Germanic languages except Norse, where it commonly was used as a diminutive suffix, especially in words designating the young of animals (e.g. gæslingr "gosling"). Thus it is possible that the diminutive use that developed in Middle English is from Old Norse.