Where does “hireling” come from?
Hireling comes from Middle English hirlyng, from Old English hȳrling, from Proto-West Germanic hūʀijuling, formed with the diminutive suffix -ling from Proto-Germanic -lingaz, itself from Proto-Germanic -ilaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European -elo-.
hireling (English): An employee who is hired, often to perform...
Definitions
- An employee who is hired, often to perform...
Ancestry of “hireling”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hirlyng | — |
| 2 | Old English | hȳrling | hireling, employee |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hūʀijuling | employee, hireling |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | -ling | Forms noun-derivatives with sense of 'belonging... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -lingaz | — |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -ilaz | agent suffix; diminutive suffix |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |