*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -lings

From Middle English -linges, variant (with genitive -es) of Middle English -ling (adverbial suffix), equivalent to -ling + -s. Compare Dutch -lings (adverbial suffix), German -lings.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

forming adverbs, generally of condition or situation

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English -linges, variant (with genitive -es) of Middle English -ling (adverbial suffix), equivalent to -ling + -s. Compare Dutch -lings (adverbial suffix), German -lings.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-linges"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -linges"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "-ling",
        "pos": "adverbial suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English -ling (adverbial suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "suf",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "-ling",
        "3": "-s"
      },
      "expansion": "-ling + -s"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "-lings",
        "pos": "adverbial suffix"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch -lings (adverbial suffix)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "-lings"
      },
      "expansion": "German -lings"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "-linges",
      "-linges#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-es",
      "-es#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ling",
      "-ling#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "-ling",
      "-ling#English"
    ],
    [
      "-s",
      "-s#English"
    ],
    [
      "-lings",
      "-lings#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "-lings",
      "-lings#German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "forming adverbs, generally of condition or situation"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal",
        "morpheme"
      ],
      "recordId": "eba445b5cf90ce582f249f1451a1da2fbbef18415657767abd55093038ca0e88",
      "rawRecordSha256": "44e4e53e35fcb5d9f68d4708d40b42706a5a63548036d2c598d6a12d881952e3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 1346554
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -lings →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LWxpbmdz