Where does “-ling” come from?

-ling (Middle English) comes from Old English -ling, from Old English lang, from Proto-West Germanic lang, from Proto-Germanic langaz, from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos — long.

-ling (Middle English): An adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or position

Definitions

  1. An adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or position

Ancestry of “-ling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old English-lingadverbial suffix denoting direction, state or...
2Old Englishlanglong; lasting; old, ancient; advanced
3Proto-West Germaniclanglong
4Proto-Germaniclangazlong
5Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong

Words derived from “-ling”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →
-ling — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer