darling means very dear; beloved, cherished, favourite. It carries an Arena rating of 1704, earned across 19 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, darling ranks #379 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,177 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #1,399 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #4,149 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
darling is pronounced /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/.
Why “darling” is a great word
A term of endearment for a dearly loved person, or an adjective describing that which is very dear, beloved, or charming. From Middle English *dereling*, from Old English *dēorling* ("favourite, darling"), a diminutive of *dēore* ("dear"), from Proto-Germanic *diurijaz* ("beloved, dear") + the diminutive suffix *-ilingaz*. Unlike "beloved," which tolls with a solemn, almost formal resonance, or "sweetheart," which stakes a specific romantic claim, "darling" is an intimate, affectionate breath, usable for a child, a partner, or a friend. It is the small hand in yours at a busy intersection, the particular way someone says your name when you are being slightly ridiculous, and the worn comfort of a favourite chair—a linguistic pocket for carrying what cannot be borne alone, a small, warm space carved out of the world’s indifference and held against the cold.
Etymology
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.
adj
- Very dear; beloved, cherished, favourite.e.g.“She is my darling wife of twenty-two years.”
- Very cute or lovable; adorable, charming, sweet.e.g.“Well, isn’t that a darling little outfit she has on?”
name
- An English and Scottish surname transferred from the nickname, originally a nickname from darling.e.g.“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 […]” — 2005, Michael Dowling, Jürgen Schmude, Dodo zu Knyphausen-Aufsess, Advances in Interdisciplinary European Entrepreneurship Research:
- A major river of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, named for Governor Ralph Darling.
- The Australian aboriginal language Baagandji, spoken along this river in New South Wales.
- A small town in the Western Cape province, South Africa.
- A census-designated place in Quitman County, Mississippi, United States.
noun
- Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.e.g.“Pass the wine, would you, darling?”
- A person who is kind, sweet, etc., and thus lovable; a pet, a sweetheart; also, an animal or thing which is cute and lovable.e.g.“The girl next door picks up all my shopping for me. She is such a darling.”
- A favourite.
- A favourite.; The favourite child in a family.e.g.“Mary, the youngest daughter, was always her mother’s darling.”
- A favourite.; A person (often a woman) or thing that is very popular with a certain group of people.e.g.“a media darling”
- A favourite.; A royal favourite, the intimate companion of a monarch or other royal personage, often delegated significant political power.
verb
- To call (someone) "darling" (noun sense 1).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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