-ling

a suffix of nouns, often pejorative, denoting one concerned with (hireling; underling), or diminutive (princeling; duckling).
-ling2
an adverbial suffix expressing direction, position, state, etc.:
darkling; sideling.
origin
-ling1
suffix
(often derogatory) a person or thing belonging to or -ssociated with the group, activity, or quality specified nestling, underling
used as a diminutive duckling
word origin
-ling2
suffix
in a specified condition, manner, or direction darkling, sideling
word origin
-ling
dim. suffix, early 14c., from o.e. -ling a nominal suffix (not originally dim.), from p.gmc. –linga-; attested in historical gmc. languages as a simple suffix, but probably representing a fusion of the suffixes represented by eng. -le (cf. icicle, thimble, handle), o.e. -ol, -ul, -el; and -ing, suffix indicating “person or thing of a specific kind or origin; in masc. nouns also “son of” (cf. farthing, atheling, o.e. ‘horing “adulterer, fornicator”). both these suffixes had occasional dim. force, but this was only slightly evident in o.e. -ling and its equivalents in gmc. languages except o.n., where it commonly was used as a diminutive suffix, especially in words designating the young of animals (e.g. gæslingr “gosling”). thus it is possible that the diminutive use that developed in middle english is from old norse.