Etymology Explorer › Middle English

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.

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”

  • fledgling
  • seedling
  • fondling
  • grayling
  • stripling
  • weakling
  • darkling
  • duckling
  • needling
  • changeling
  • underling
  • worldling
  • nursling
  • halfling
  • hatchling
  • starveling
  • cowling
  • princeling
  • bantling
  • firstling
  • weanling
  • lordling
  • witling
  • treeling
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dlongʰos →