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darling

Pronunciation: /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/

The English word “darling” has 9 meanings listed here.

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. The favourite child in a family.
  5. A person (often a woman) or thing that is very popular with a certain group of people.
  6. A royal favourite, the intimate companion of a monarch or other royal personage, often delegated significant political power.

adjective

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

verb

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

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…

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