Where does “darkling” come from?
Darkling comes from Old English -ing (a diminutive or agent suffix) attached to Old English dark, itself from Proto-Indo-European dʰerg- meaning to hide or conceal.
darkling (English): A creature that lives in the dark; In the dark;...
Definitions
- A creature that lives in the dark; In the dark;...
Ancestry of “darkling”, step by step
darkling traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English dark
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dark | Having an absolute or relative lack of light;... |
| 2 | Middle English | derk | dark |
| 3 | Old English | deorc | dark |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | derk | dirty; dark |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | derkaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg-o-s | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰerg- | to dim, darken; dim, dull; dark, dusky |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |
via English darkle
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | darkle | To be dark; to be visible only darkly; To become... |
via Middle English derkelyng
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | derkelyng | — |