darling

Meaning

Noun

1. Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.
2. A person who is kind, sweet, etc., and thus lovable; a pet, a sweetheart; also, an animal or thing which is cute and lovable.
3. A favourite.
4. A favourite.
5. (broadly) A favourite.
6. (obsolete) A favourite.

Adj

1. Very dear; beloved, cherished, favourite.
2. Very cute or lovable; adorable, charming, sweet.

Verb

To call (someone) "darling" (noun sense 1).

Synonyms

dear

sweetheart

beloved

precious

love

❤️

sweetie

honey

🍯

lovely

favourite

pretty

favorite

lover

❤️

cute

pet

sweet

girlfriend

dearie

adorable

heart

❤️

baby

👶

boyfriend

deary

dearest

little one

my dear

truelove

ducky

one’s beloved

minion

beautiful

jo

mind

favored one

gold

loved one

my child

sex partner

mavourneen

beloved one

beloved person

adoring one

honeybun

the chosen one

my darling

dear child

dearly beloved

sugar-plum

macushla

acushla

lovey

Translations

Liebling

chéri

schat

sevgili

Schatz

amado

querido

caro

querido

prediletto

querida

amor

❤️

lieverd

amato

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈdɑːlɪŋ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: derelyng

Inherited from Old English: dīerling

In summary

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.