noun
pl. or lings any of several edible gadoid fishes mostly of the N Atlantic
Origin of ling
Middle English lenge, akin to Middle Dutch lange, Old Norse langa from base of long: so named from its shapeling
-ling heather
Origin of ling
Middle English from Old Norse lyng from Indo-European base an unverified form lenk-, to bend from source -ling linguistics
-ling
- small or young (person or thing specified): duckling
- one in relation to a (specified) thing, esp. in seeming subordinate, unimportant, or contemptible: hireling, earthling, groundling
Origin of -ling
Middle English from OE, combining the bases of -le + -ing-ling
Now Chiefly Dial. in a (specified) manner, condition, or direction; to a (specified) extent: darkling
Origin of -ling
Middle English -linge from Old English -ling, -lang from Indo-European base an unverified form lenk-, to bend from source Latvian lùnkans, flexibleWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"ling." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling>.
APA Style
ling. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling
ling
noun
pl. ling, or lingsAny of various marine food fishes closely related to and resembling the cod, especially Molva molva of northern Atlantic waters, having a long body and a barbel on the chin.
Origin of ling
Middle English possibly of Low German origin ; see del-1 in Indo-European roots.-ling
suffix
- One connected with: worldling.
- One having a specified quality: underling.
- One that is young, small, or inferior: duckling.
Origin of -ling
Middle English from Old English-ling
suffix
In a specified direction, manner, or condition: darkling.
Origin of -ling
Middle English from Old EnglishTHE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"ling." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling>.
APA Style
ling. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling
Noun
(plural lings)
Suffix
- A diminutive modifier of nouns having either the physical sense of "a younger, smaller or inferior version of what is denoted by the original noun", or the derived sense indicating possession of or connection with a quality, which may having the sense of "a follower or resident of what is denoted by the stem form".
- (as an adverb) In the manner or direction indicated by the main stem (object.)
Usage notes
Words ending in -ing derived from a root ending on -l or in a mute -le, such as dazzling, have usually only an accidental resemblance, though sometimes there is a connection, as in sidling, which comes both directly from Middle English in this form, and as conjugated from of the derived modern English verb sidle.
Origin
From Middle English -ling, from Old English -ling, from Proto-Germanic *-lingaz, a nominal suffix, probably composed of Proto-Germanic *-ilaz (agent/instrumental suffix) + Proto-Germanic *-ingaz (patronymic suffix). Akin to Old High German -ling, Old Norse -lingr, Gothic -ðŒ»ðŒ¹ðŒ²ðŒ²ðƒ (-liggs) (in ðŒ²ðŒ°ðŒ³ðŒ¹ðŒ»ðŒ¹ðŒ²ðŒ²ðƒ (gadiliggs)). More at -le, -ing.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"ling." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 21 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling>.
APA Style
ling. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21st, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Ling
