darling

See also: Darling

English

Alternative forms

• darlin' (informal)
• dearling

Etymology

From Middle English derelyng, from Old English dīerling (“darling, favorite, minion; also household god”), corresponding to dear +‎ -ling.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɑːlɪŋ/
• (General American) enPR: där'lĭng, IPA^(key): /ˈdɑɹlɪŋ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: Darling
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)lɪŋ

Noun

darling (plural darlings)

1. A person who is dear to one.

   Mary, the youngest daughter, was always her mother's darling.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance cast under his lashes at that uncompromising countenance appeared to lose himself in his own reflections.

2. A kind or sweet person; sweetheart.

   The girl next door picks up all my shopping for me. She is such a darling.

3. An affectionate term of address.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sweetheart

   Pass the wine, would you, darling?

   • 1969, Paul McCartney (lyrics and music), “Oh! Darling”, in Abbey Road, performed by The Beatles:

     Oh! Darling, please believe me / I'll never do you no harm

   • 1972, Joni Mitchell (lyrics and music), “A Case of You”, in Blue:

     Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling / Still I'd be on my feet

4. (by extension) A person or thing, typically a woman, who is very popular with a certain group.

   a media darling

   a darling of the theatre

   • 2011 December 15, Felicity Cloake, “How to cook the perfect nut roast”, in Guardian‎^[1]:

     One of the darlings of the early vegetarian movement (particularly in its even sadder form, the cutlet), it was on the menu at John Harvey Kellogg's Battle Creek Sanitarium^[sic], and has since become the default Sunday option for vegetarians – and a default source of derision for everyone else.

Derived terms

• darlinghood
• kill one's darlings
• media darling

Translations

person who is dear to one

• Albanian: loke (sq) f, loc (sq) m
• Arabic: حَبِيب‎ m (ḥabīb), حَبِيبَة‎ f (ḥabība)
• Armenian: սիրելի (hy) (sireli), թանկագին (hy) (tʿankagin), քաղցր (hy) (kʿaġcʿr), բարեկամ (hy) (barekam)
• Belarusian: лю́бы m (ljúby), лю́бая f (ljúbaja)
• Bengali: দিলরুবা (bn) (dilruba)
• Bikol Central: padangat (bcl), padaba (bcl)
• Bulgarian: любим (bg) m (ljubim), любима (bg) f (ljubima)
• Catalan: estimat (ca) m, estimada (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 親愛的／亲爱的 (zh) (qīn'ài de), 寶貝／宝贝 (zh) (bǎobèi), 心肝寶貝／心肝宝贝 (zh) (xīngān bǎobèi), 心肝 (zh) (xīngān)

• Czech: milý (cs), miláček (cs), poklad (cs), zlato (cs)
• Danish: elskede (da) c
• Dutch: schat (nl) m, schatje (nl) n, geliefde (nl), lieverd (nl), lieve (nl), liefje (nl) n
• Dzongkha: སྙིང་སྡུག (snying sdug)
• Esperanto: karegulo, karegulino
• Estonian: kullake, kallike, kullakene, kallikene
• Finnish: rakas (fi), kulta (fi), kultanen
• French: chéri (fr) m, chérie (fr) f
• Galician: amor (gl), rula f, tesouro (gl) m, meu ben (addressing), meu rei m (addressing)
• Georgian: ახლობელი (axlobeli)
• German: Liebling (de) m, Schatz (de) m, Schätzchen (de) n
• Greek: αγάπη (el) f (agápi), λατρεία (el) f (latreía)
• Hebrew: יַקִּיר‎ (he) m (yaqqír)
• Hungarian: drágám (hu), édesem, szívem, kicsim
• Icelandic: elskan f
• Ido: please add this translation if you can
• Indonesian: sayang (id)
• Irish: ainsín m, carán m, craobhóg f, craoibhín m, cumann m, dílseog f, gealghrá m, grianán m, leanbán m, leannán m, leoinín m, maoinín m, meanmarc f, muirnín m, rúnach f, rúnsearc f, úillín m
• Italian: tesoro (it) m, amore (it) m
• Japanese: 愛すべき (あいすべき, aisubeki) (never used as a form of address), ダーリン (ja) (dārin), スイートハート (swītohāto), ハニー (ja) (hanī) (these words are rarely used in Japan as a form of address), 貴方 (ja) (あなた, anata) (wife to husband, "you"), 君 (ja) (きみ, kimi) (husband to wife, "you")
• Korean: 자기 (ko) (jagi), 자기야 (jagiya), 달링 (dalling), 여보 (ko) (yeobo)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: نازدار‎ (ckb) (nazdar), یار‎ (yar), یارە‎ (yare)

• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latin: deliciae f pl, mel (la) n, meum mel n, animulus m
• Luxembourgish: Liibling m, Schazi, Häerzi,Fiffi m
• Malay: sayang (ms)
• Malayalam: പ്രിയതമൻ (ml) m (priyatamaṉ), പ്രിയതമ (ml) f (priyatama)
• Maori: taupuhi, ipo, kōmata, ate (mi), paruhi
• Norwegian: elskling (no) m
• Occitan: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: دلدار‎ (fa) (deldâr), دلارام‎ (fa) (delârâm), دلبر‎ (fa) (delbar), یار‎ (fa) (yâr)
• Polish: kochany (pl) m, kochana f, kochanie (pl) n, droga (pl) f, drogi (pl) m
• Portuguese: querido (pt) m, querida (pt) f
• Romanian: drag (ro) m, dragă (ro) f, iubit (ro) m, iubită (ro) f
• Russian: возлю́бленный (ru) m (vozljúblennyj), возлю́бленная (ru) m (vozljúblennaja) (not used as a form of address); дорого́й (ru) m (dorogój), дорога́я (ru) f (dorogája), люби́мый (ru) m (ljubímyj), люби́мая (ru) f (ljubímaja), ду́шенька (ru) f (dúšenʹka), голу́бушка (ru) f (golúbuška), ми́лый (ru) (mílyj), ми́лая (ru) f (mílaja)
• Scottish Gaelic: luaidh m or f, eudail f
• Slovak: miláčik
• Spanish: querido (es) m, querida (es) f, amado (es) m, amada (es) f
• Swedish: älskling (sv) c, raring (sv)
• Thai: ที่รัก (th) (tîi-rák)
• Turkish: sevgili (tr), sevdicek
• Volapük: (♂♀) löfäb (vo), (♂) hilöfäb, (♀) jilöfäb
• Welsh: cariad (cy) m
• Yiddish: ליבלינג‎ m (libling), ליובע‎ f (lyube)
• Zazaki: sinayer c, waşter c, yar (diq) c
• Zealandic: lieven m, lieve f, liefje n (used towards women and girls)
• Zulu: isingane (zu) class 7/8

Adjective

darling (comparative darlinger, superlative darlingest)

1. Dear; cherished.

   She is my darling wife of twenty-two years.

2. charming

   Well isn't that a darling little outfit she has on.

Usage notes

darlinger is rarely used.

Translations

dear, cherished

• Belarusian: лю́бы m (ljúby)
• Bulgarian: любим (bg) (ljubim), мил (bg) (mil), скъп (bg) (skǎp)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 亲爱的 (zh) (qin'ai de)

• Finnish: rakas (fi)
• French: chéri (fr) m, chérie (fr) f
• Greek: λατρεμένος (el) m (latreménos), πολυαγαπημένος (el) m (polyagapiménos)
• Hebrew: יַקִּיר‎ (he) m (yaqqír)
• Icelandic: kær (is) m, ástkær m
• Irish: muirneach
• Latin: mellītus
• Malayalam: പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട (priyappeṭṭa)
• Nahuatl: necuhtliyollotl, tlazohtli teōtl, notlazohtla
• Occitan: carit
• Persian: نازنین‎ (fa) (nâzanin), دلنواز‎ (fa) (delnavâz)
• Portuguese: querido (pt), amado (pt)
• Romanian: drag (ro), iubit (ro), scump (ro)
• Russian: дорого́й (ru) (dorogój), люби́мый (ru) (ljubímyj), ми́лый (ru) (mílyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: ionmhainn
• Slovak: milovaný
• Spanish: querido (es), amado (es)
• Turkish: sevgili (tr), biricik (tr), canım
• Volapük: löfik (vo)

charming

• Bengali: দিলরুবা (bn) (dilruba)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Finnish: suloinen (fi)
• Greek: χαριτωμένος (el) m (charitoménos)
• Persian: فریبا‎ (fa) (faribâ), دلفریب‎ (fa) (delfarib), دلربا‎ (fa) (delrobâ)
• Polish: czarujący (pl) m, czarująca f
• Portuguese: encantador
• Romanian: încântător (ro), drăguț (ro)
• Russian: очарова́тельный (ru) (očarovátelʹnyj), ми́лый (ru) (mílyj)
• Slovak: zlatý
• Spanish: encantador (es)
• Swedish: gullig (sv), söt (sv), bedårande (sv), charmig (sv)
• Turkish: hoş (tr), tatlı (tr)

Anagrams

• Lingard, larding