"-ling" meaning in German

See -ling in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Suffix

IPA: [lɪŋ] Audio: LL-Q188 (deu)-Frank C. Müller--ling.wav Forms: -linges [genitive], -lings [genitive], -linge [plural]
Etymology: From Middle High German -linc, from Old High German -ling, from Proto-West Germanic *-ling. Etymology templates: {{dercat|de|gem-pro|inh=1}}, {{inh|de|gmh|-linc}} Middle High German -linc, {{inh|de|goh|-ling}} Old High German -ling, {{der|de|gmw-pro|*-ling}} Proto-West Germanic *-ling Head templates: {{head|de|suffix|genitive|-linges|or|-lings|plural|-linge|cat2=noun-forming suffixes|g=m}} -ling m (genitive -linges or -lings, plural -linge)
  1. Forms nouns from adjectives, indicating possession of or connection with a quality or property Tags: masculine, morpheme
    Sense id: en--ling-de-suffix-lQ1gX2m- Categories (other): German entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of German entries with incorrect language header: 34 28 37
  2. Forms nouns from other nouns, indicating a noun associated with or subordinate to it Tags: masculine, morpheme
    Sense id: en--ling-de-suffix-OEJL4mIy Categories (other): German entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of German entries with incorrect language header: 34 28 37
  3. Forms nouns from verbs, indicating a noun, especially a person, prone to doing an action Tags: masculine, morpheme
    Sense id: en--ling-de-suffix-kDj2dsYN Categories (other): German entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of German entries with incorrect language header: 34 28 37
{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "inh": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "-linc"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German -linc",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German -ling",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-ling",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German -linc, from Old High German -ling, from Proto-West Germanic *-ling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-linges",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-lings",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-linge",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "suffix",
        "3": "genitive",
        "4": "-linges",
        "5": "or",
        "6": "-lings",
        "7": "plural",
        "8": "-linge",
        "cat2": "noun-forming suffixes",
        "g": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "-ling m (genitive -linges or -lings, plural -linge)",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 28 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "schwach (“weak”) + -ling → Schwächling (“weakling”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "früh (“early”) + -ling → Frühling (“spring (that which comes early)”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from adjectives, indicating possession of or connection with a quality or property"
      ],
      "id": "en--ling-de-suffix-lQ1gX2m-",
      "links": [
        [
          "quality",
          "quality#English"
        ],
        [
          "property",
          "property#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 28 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Haft (“imprisonment”) + -ling → Häftling (“prisoner, inmate”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Hanf (“hemp”) + -ling → Hänfling (“linnet, beanpole”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from other nouns, indicating a noun associated with or subordinate to it"
      ],
      "id": "en--ling-de-suffix-OEJL4mIy",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "34 28 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "saugen (“to suck”) + -ling → Säugling (“infant, suckling”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "ankommen (“to arrive”) + -ling → Ankömmling (“arrival, arriving person”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from verbs, indicating a noun, especially a person, prone to doing an action"
      ],
      "id": "en--ling-de-suffix-kDj2dsYN",
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[lɪŋ]"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q188 (deu)-Frank C. Müller--ling.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d0/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d0/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ling"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "German entries with incorrect language header",
    "German lemmas",
    "German masculine suffixes",
    "German noun-forming suffixes",
    "German suffixes",
    "German terms derived from Middle High German",
    "German terms derived from Old High German",
    "German terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "German terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "German terms inherited from Middle High German",
    "German terms inherited from Old High German",
    "German terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "Pages using catfix",
    "Pages with 9 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "inh": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmh",
        "3": "-linc"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German -linc",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "goh",
        "3": "-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German -ling",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*-ling"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *-ling",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle High German -linc, from Old High German -ling, from Proto-West Germanic *-ling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "-linges",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-lings",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-linge",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "suffix",
        "3": "genitive",
        "4": "-linges",
        "5": "or",
        "6": "-lings",
        "7": "plural",
        "8": "-linge",
        "cat2": "noun-forming suffixes",
        "g": "m"
      },
      "expansion": "-ling m (genitive -linges or -lings, plural -linge)",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "suffix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "schwach (“weak”) + -ling → Schwächling (“weakling”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "früh (“early”) + -ling → Frühling (“spring (that which comes early)”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from adjectives, indicating possession of or connection with a quality or property"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "quality",
          "quality#English"
        ],
        [
          "property",
          "property#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Haft (“imprisonment”) + -ling → Häftling (“prisoner, inmate”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "Hanf (“hemp”) + -ling → Hänfling (“linnet, beanpole”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from other nouns, indicating a noun associated with or subordinate to it"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    },
    {
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "saugen (“to suck”) + -ling → Säugling (“infant, suckling”)",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "ankommen (“to arrive”) + -ling → Ankömmling (“arrival, arriving person”)",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Forms nouns from verbs, indicating a noun, especially a person, prone to doing an action"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "[lɪŋ]"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q188 (deu)-Frank C. Müller--ling.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d0/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/d/d0/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav/LL-Q188_%28deu%29-Frank_C._M%C3%BCller--ling.wav.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "-ling"
}

Download raw JSONL data for -ling meaning in German (3.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable German dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-07-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-07-06 using wiktextract (b70b34c and e7887d5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.