darling
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darling¹
- /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/ UK
- /ˈdɑɹlɪŋ/ US
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)lɪŋ
Where it comes from
The noun is derived from Middle English dereling, derelyng (“beloved person; beloved of God, devout Christian”), from Old English dīerling, dēorling (“favourite, darling; minion”), from Proto-West Germanic *diuriling, from Proto-Germanic *diurijalingaz, from *diurijaz (“beloved, dear; expensive”) (further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰegʷʰ- (“hot, warm; to burn”), or *dweh₂- (“distant, long; to remove, separate”)) + *-ilingaz (suffix forming (diminutive) nouns with the sense of ‘belonging to; coming from’). By surface analysis, dear + -ling (suffix meaning ‘immature; small’).
The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The verb is also derived from the noun.
noun darlings · darlin' · darlint · dearling
-
Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.
Pass the wine, would you, darling?
Similar: darl, babber, babe, precious, bae, baby, babycakes, bubba, bully, buttercup, cabbage, chickabiddy
- A person who is kind, sweet, etc., and thus lovable; a pet, a sweetheart; also, an animal or thing which is cute and lovable. The girl next door picks up all my shopping for me. She is such a darling.
- A favourite. And in ſo muche the more peril and haſard of the ſaid diſeaſes [“ambicion, auarice, riottous exceſſe, hatred, enuye, and ſuche others”] do the princes ſtand, as they are more then others made wantons ⁊ derelynges of fortune, and haue lybertie withoute checke or controllemente to fulfyll their owne ſ
- The favourite child in a family. Mary, the youngest daughter, was always her mother’s darling.
- A person (often a woman) or thing that is very popular with a certain group of people. a media darling
- A royal favourite, the intimate companion of a monarch or other royal personage, often delegated significant political power. When kyng Henry perceiued, that the cõmons [commons] wer thus ſtomacked and bent, againſt the Quenes [Margaret of Anjou's] dearlynge William [de la Pole,] Duke of Suffolke, he plainly ſawe, that neither gloſyng woulde ſette, nor diſſimulacion coulde appeace, the continuall clamor of the importunate
adjective more darling · darlinger · most darling · darlingest · dearling
- Very dear; beloved, cherished, favourite. She is my darling wife of twenty-two years.
- Very cute or lovable; adorable, charming, sweet. Well, isn’t that a darling little outfit she has on?
verb darlings · darlinging · darlinged
- To call (someone) "darling" (noun sense 1). The frisky female, we have noticed, has one most unpleasant trick; it is that of darlinging and duckeying and otherwise spooneying her husband … in public. He is invariably, invariably set down as an ass, without its being in the least his fault.
Darling²
- /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/ UK
Sounds like darling · Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)lɪŋ
Where it comes from
From darling.
proper noun Darlings
- An English and Scottish surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname from darling. Richard and David Darling, founders of Codemasters, a multimillion-pound computer game company, dropped out of school aged 15 and 16 to write computer games […]
- A small town in the Western Cape province, South Africa.
- A census-designated place in Quitman County, Mississippi, United States.
-
A major river of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia; Named after Governor Ralph Darling, British colonial administrator.
Similar: Darling River, River Darling
-
Synonym of Baagandji; Ellipsis of Darling language; The Australian aboriginal language spoken along this river in New South Wales.
Similar: Baagandji
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: deary, dearie, loved, beloved, dear, favorite, favourite, pet, ducky, darling river, sweetheart, dearest, sweetie, love, amour, adorable
Translations
Every language
noun often used as an affectionate term of address: person who is very dear to one
| Español | amado, amada, querido, querida, cariño |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 달링 dalling, 자기 jagi, 자기야 jagiya, 여보 yeobo |
| 日本語 | 愛すべき aisubeki, ダーリン dārin, ハニー hanī, スイートハート swītohāto |
| 中文 | 寶貝 /宝贝 bǎobèi, 親愛的 /亲爱的, 心肝 xīngān, 心肝寶貝 /心肝宝贝 xīngān bǎobèi |
| हिन्दी | प्रिय priya, प्रिया priyā, प्रियतम priytam, प्रियतमा priyatmā |
| Português | querido, querida |
| Français | chéri, chérie |
| Deutsch | Liebling, Schatz, Schätzchen |
| Italiano | amore, tesoro |
| Ελληνικά | αγάπη agápi, λατρεία latreía |
| Română | drag, dragă, iubit, iubită |
| Русский | дорого́й dorogój, дорога́я dorogája, ду́шенька dúšenʹka, голу́бушка golúbuška, люби́мый ljubímyj, люби́мая ljubímaja |
| العربية | حَبِيب ḥabīb, حَبِيبَة ḥabība |
| עברית | יַקִּיר yaqqír |
noun person who is kind, sweet, etc., and thus lovable; animal or thing which is cute and lovable — see also sweetheart
| Français | chéri, chérie |
|---|
adj very dear — see also beloved, cherished, favourite
| Español | amado, querido |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 亲爱的 |
| हिन्दी | प्रियतम priytam, प्रियतमा priyatmā |
| Português | amado, querido |
| Français | chéri, chérie |
| Italiano | caro |
| Ελληνικά | λατρεμένος latreménos, πολυαγαπημένος polyagapiménos |
| Română | drag, iubit, scump |
| Русский | дорого́й dorogój, люби́мый ljubímyj, ми́лый mílyj |
| עברית | יַקִּיר yaqqír |
adj very cute or lovable — see also adorable, charming, sweet
| Español | encantador |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | आकर्षक ākarṣak, मोहक mohak |
| Português | encantador |
| Italiano | caro |
| Ελληνικά | χαριτωμένος charitoménos |
| Română | drăguț, încântător |
| Русский | ми́лый mílyj, очарова́тельный očarovátelʹnyj |
Talk about this word "darling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/darling. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. darling. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/darling "darling." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/darling.Cite this
@misc{darling_2026,
title = {darling},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/darling},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
