"overling" meaning in English

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "underling"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over",
        "3": "ling"
      },
      "expansion": "over + -ling",
      "name": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "overling",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a superior"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English overling (“a superior”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over",
        "3": "ling"
      },
      "expansion": "over + -ling",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From over + -ling on analogy with underling, or as a revived or dialectal term from Middle English overling (“a superior”), equivalent to over + -ling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "overlings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "overling (plural overlings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1917, Rudyard Kipling, Mesopotamia (poem)",
          "text": "But the idle-minded overlings who quibbled while they died, …"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:",
          "text": "Reflex laughs from the underlings present, though only grim smiles from the overlings.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A superior."
      ],
      "id": "en-overling-en-noun-xQIwsEFT",
      "links": [
        [
          "superior",
          "superior"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A superior."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 94",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "9 91",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ling",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "6 94",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ruler; master."
      ],
      "id": "en-overling-en-noun-52yuhzud",
      "links": [
        [
          "ruler",
          "ruler"
        ],
        [
          "master",
          "master"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK dialectal) A ruler; master."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "overling"
}

{
  "antonyms": [
    {
      "word": "underling"
    }
  ],
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms suffixed with -ling",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over",
        "3": "ling"
      },
      "expansion": "over + -ling",
      "name": "suffix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "overling",
        "4": "",
        "5": "a superior"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English overling (“a superior”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "over",
        "3": "ling"
      },
      "expansion": "over + -ling",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From over + -ling on analogy with underling, or as a revived or dialectal term from Middle English overling (“a superior”), equivalent to over + -ling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "overlings",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "overling (plural overlings)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with rare senses",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1917, Rudyard Kipling, Mesopotamia (poem)",
          "text": "But the idle-minded overlings who quibbled while they died, …"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1973, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow:",
          "text": "Reflex laughs from the underlings present, though only grim smiles from the overlings.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A superior."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "superior",
          "superior"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) A superior."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English dialectal terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A ruler; master."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ruler",
          "ruler"
        ],
        [
          "master",
          "master"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK dialectal) A ruler; master."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "overling"
}