"liefling" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lief",
        "3": "-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "lief + -ling",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "liefling",
        "4": "",
        "5": "darling"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans liefling (“darling”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Liebling",
        "3": "",
        "4": "darling"
      },
      "expansion": "German Liebling (“darling”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Equivalent to lief + -ling (compare darling = dear + -ling), perhaps from or modelled after Afrikaans liefling (“darling”), German Liebling (“darling”). Compare also loveling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lieflings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "liefling (plural lieflings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ling",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English undefined derivations",
          "parents": [
            "Undefined derivations",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
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          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "South African English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, Leon Schuster, Leon Schuster's Lekker, Thick South African Joke Book - Page 271:",
          "text": "'Really, liefling?' she says. Tell me what happened.'",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2001, Charl Fregona, The waiting place:",
          "text": "\"Listen, liefling, this has got nothing to do with them,\" he said. I shook my head. \" It's not that, Riaan... it's Peter.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Michelle Bowers, Outstanding Justice:",
          "text": "There was another word she called him sometimes; it had a funny sound to it, liefling. In truth she knew well that it meant 'darling'. She casually told him it meant 'dreamer'. He would remember those magical, special words, always.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Anne Landsman, The Rowing Lesson:",
          "text": "Ma gives a long-suffering sigh. It's all my fault. You're paranoid, Stella. No—YOU'RE paranoid! Stop! Simon's cracking, broken voice rises up above the fray. Johannes is whispering into Marietjie's ear, My liefling.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Kenn Joubert, The Early Years:",
          "text": "She simply dropped her face onto his chest and hugged him tight. Is this feeling running through my body, the feeling of . . . true love? “Kom, my liefling, we should hike first up the mountain—where we can talk.”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One held as lief or dear; a darling."
      ],
      "id": "en-liefling-en-noun-H1G3CxGf",
      "links": [
        [
          "lief",
          "lief"
        ],
        [
          "dear",
          "dear"
        ],
        [
          "darling",
          "darling"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(South Africa) One held as lief or dear; a darling."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "liefling"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lief",
        "3": "-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "lief + -ling",
      "name": "af"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "af",
        "3": "liefling",
        "4": "",
        "5": "darling"
      },
      "expansion": "Afrikaans liefling (“darling”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Liebling",
        "3": "",
        "4": "darling"
      },
      "expansion": "German Liebling (“darling”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Equivalent to lief + -ling (compare darling = dear + -ling), perhaps from or modelled after Afrikaans liefling (“darling”), German Liebling (“darling”). Compare also loveling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "lieflings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "liefling (plural lieflings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
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  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
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        "English terms suffixed with -ling",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English undefined derivations",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned",
        "South African English"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, Leon Schuster, Leon Schuster's Lekker, Thick South African Joke Book - Page 271:",
          "text": "'Really, liefling?' she says. Tell me what happened.'",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2001, Charl Fregona, The waiting place:",
          "text": "\"Listen, liefling, this has got nothing to do with them,\" he said. I shook my head. \" It's not that, Riaan... it's Peter.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2006, Michelle Bowers, Outstanding Justice:",
          "text": "There was another word she called him sometimes; it had a funny sound to it, liefling. In truth she knew well that it meant 'darling'. She casually told him it meant 'dreamer'. He would remember those magical, special words, always.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2007, Anne Landsman, The Rowing Lesson:",
          "text": "Ma gives a long-suffering sigh. It's all my fault. You're paranoid, Stella. No—YOU'RE paranoid! Stop! Simon's cracking, broken voice rises up above the fray. Johannes is whispering into Marietjie's ear, My liefling.",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012, Kenn Joubert, The Early Years:",
          "text": "She simply dropped her face onto his chest and hugged him tight. Is this feeling running through my body, the feeling of . . . true love? “Kom, my liefling, we should hike first up the mountain—where we can talk.”",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "One held as lief or dear; a darling."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "lief",
          "lief"
        ],
        [
          "dear",
          "dear"
        ],
        [
          "darling",
          "darling"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(South Africa) One held as lief or dear; a darling."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "South-Africa"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "liefling"
}