Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “-ling” come from?

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

-ling (Old English): adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or...

Definitions

  1. adverbial suffix denoting direction, state or...

Ancestry of “-ling”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishlanglong; lasting; old, ancient; advanced
2Proto-West Germaniclanglong
3Proto-Germaniclangazlong
4Proto-Indo-Europeandlongʰoslong

Words derived from “-ling”

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