后綴-ling 有多種來源，來源于日耳曼語、中古英語和古英語，屬于名詞，形容詞，副詞后綴，一般構(gòu)成人稱名詞，帶有輕蔑意味，比 -let 感情更強烈；另外，它也出現(xiàn)于一些動植物名稱，表示“小”，不具有構(gòu)造新詞能力，如：seedling 小苗、catling 小貓、duckling 小鴨。當此后綴屬于形容詞或副詞后綴時，表示“狀態(tài)”，例如：darkling 在黑暗中的、sideling 傾斜地，偏于一邊的。

英文詞源：diminutive word-forming element, early 14c., from Old English -ling a nominal suffix (not originally diminutive), from Proto-Germanic *-linga-; attested in historical Germanic languages as a simple suffix, but probably representing a fusion of two suffixes: 1. that represented by English -le (thimble, handle), from Old English -ol, -ul, -el, representing PIE *-lo- (see -ule); and 2. -ing, suffix indicating "person or thing of a specific kind or origin;" in masculine nouns also "son of" (farthing, atheling, Old English horing "adulterer, fornicator"), from PIE *-(i)ko- (see -ic).

Both these suffixes had occasional diminutive force, but this was only slightly evident in Old English -ling and its equivalents in Germanic languages except Norse, where it commonly was used as a diminutive suffix, especially in words designating the young of animals (such as gæslingr "gosling"). Thus it is possible that the diminutive use that developed in Middle English is from Old Norse.

后綴-ling有兩種含義。

（1）屬于名詞后綴，表示“小”

1.catling [cat n. 貓 + -ling 后綴表示小→]
n.小貓

2.gosling [gos=goose 鵝 + -ling 后綴→]
n.小鵝

3.birdling [bird 鳥 + -ling 后綴→]
n.小鳥,幼鳥

4.lordling [lord n. 主 + -ling 后綴→]
n.小貴族,小老爺

5.seedling [seed 種子 +　-ling 后綴→]
n.從種子長出來的植物；苗木

6.yeraling [year 年 + -ling 后綴→]
n. 一歲小獸

（2）表示“與某事物 ( 或情況 ) 有關(guān)的人或生物、具有某種性質(zhì)的人或生物”

1.weakling [weak 弱 + -ling 后綴→]
n.體弱的人,意志薄弱者

2.underling [under 在...下面 + -ling 后綴→]
n.部下,下屬,下手

3.worldling [world 世界 + -ling 后綴→]
n.世俗之徒,凡人

4.suckling [suck 吸 + -ling 后綴→]
n. 乳兒,乳獸