# -ling
## English
### Pronunciation

* This entry needs pronunciation information. If you are familiar with the IPA or enPR then please add some!
* Audio (Southern England):noicon(file)

### Etymology 1

From Middle English -ling, from Old English -ling, from Proto-West Germanic *-ling, from Proto-Germanic *-lingaz, a nominal suffix, probably composed of Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (agent/instrumental/diminutive suffix) + Proto-Germanic *-ingaz (patronymic suffix).
Akin to Dutch -ling, German -ling, Icelandic -lingur, Gothic -𐌻𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 (-liggs). More at -le, -ing.

#### Alternative forms

* -lyng (obsolete)
* -lin (dialectal)

#### Suffix

-ling
* small, immature, miniature
* follower or resident

##### Usage notes

Words ending in -ing derived from a root or stem terminating in -l or -le, such as dazzling, have usually only an accidental resemblance, although sometimes there is a connection, as in sidling, which derives from Middle English in this form, and which is also a present participle form of the modern English verb to sidle, which in itself is a back-formation from sidling.

##### Derived terms

(Diminutive):
* buckling
* castling
* darling
* daughterling
* doeling
* duckling
* earthling
* fatling
* fingerling
* fledgling
* fondling
* goatling
* godling
* gosling
* lambling
* lordling
* pigling
* princeling
* puffling
* spiderling
* sportling
* swanling
* vetchling
(Quality):
* cageling
* changeling
* darkling
* earthling
* endling
* firstling
* foundling
* hatchling
* hireling
* kindling
* nestling
* overling
* ridgeling
* sapling
* seedling
* shaveling
* starveling
* stripling
* suckling
* underling
* weakling
* wildling
* witling
* wordling
* worldling
* yearling
* youngling

##### Translations
### Etymology 2

From Middle English -ling, from Old English -ling, -linga, -lunga (adverbial suffix). Compare -long.

#### Alternative forms

* -lings
* -lin (dialectal)

#### Suffix

-ling
* (non-productive) An adverbial suffix denoting manner, direction or position.

##### Derived terms

* darkling
* flatling
* headling
* sideling
* sunderling

### See also

* -en
* -le
* -ock

### References

* Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

### Anagrams

* lign-

## Dutch
### Etymology

From a rebracketing of nouns with an -ing suffix. See above (English).

### Suffix

-ling m
* a suffix that describes a person (or other creature) in terms of a place of origin or a quality, as defined by the root to which it is added

#### Derived terms

* -lings - adverbs
* -linge f

## German
### Etymology

From Middle High German -linc, from Old High German -ling, from Proto-West Germanic *-ling.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [lɪŋ]
* Audio:(file)

### Suffix

-ling m (genitive -linges or -lings, plural -linge)
* Indicates possession of or connection with a quality or property, such as Schwächling (“weakling”) from schwach (“weak”) or Frühling (“the season Spring [which comes early]”) from früh (“early”).
* A modifier of nouns, meaning a follower or resident of what is denoted by the stem form, such as Häftling from Haft.
* Suffix forming the names of many mushrooms.

#### Derived terms
## Icelandic
### Suffix

-ling
* indefinite accusative singular of -lingur

## Middle English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /-linɡ/

### Etymology 1

From Old English -ling (nominal suffix), from Proto-West Germanic *-ling, from Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz; equivalent to -el +‎ -ing.

#### Alternative forms

* -linge, -lingge, -lyng, -lynge

#### Suffix

-ling
* suffix used in forming personal nouns
* suffix forming diminutives

##### Descendants

* English: -ling
* Scots: -ling, -lin

##### References

* “-ling, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

### Etymology 2

From Old English -ling (adverbial suffix).

#### Suffix

-ling
* An adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or position.

##### Descendants

* English: -ling, -long (as in headlong)

##### References

* “-ling(e, suf.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

## Norwegian Bokmål
### Etymology

From German -ling.

### Suffix

-ling
* denoting diminutive

## Old English
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /linɡ/, [liŋɡ]

### Etymology 1

From alteration of suffixal use of Old English lang (“long”).

#### Suffix

-ling
* adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or position
    hinderling ― backwards

##### Descendants

* Middle English: -ling
** English: -ling, -long (as in headlong)

### Etymology 2

From Proto-West Germanic *-ling, from Proto-Germanic *-ilingaz.

#### Alternative forms

* -linc

#### Suffix

-ling m
* suffix used in forming personal nouns
    dīerling ― favorite, darling
    rǣpling ― prisoner
* suffix forming diminutives
    stærling ― starling
* dynasty, lineage
    Icling ("dynasty of Icel" or "House of Icel"); Ætheling (House of Ethel)

##### Declension

Strong a-stem:

##### Descendants

* Middle English: -ling
** English: -ling