A person or creature that cringes; someone who is cowardly or servile.
From 'cringe' plus the diminutive or agent suffix '-ling,' which creates nouns for beings exhibiting the quality described. This suffix appears in 'duckling,' 'sapling,' and 'hireling.'
The '-ling' suffix carries an inherent condescension—'cringeling' doesn't just mean someone who cringes, it suggests something small, weak, and contemptible. Language can be weaponized through diminutive morphology.
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