An affectionate, diminutive form of 'dear'; a person who is loved or cherished, particularly used toward someone young or beloved.
From 'dear' with the diminutive suffix '-ling' (from Old English, used to create small or affectionate versions of words, as in 'duckling' and 'gosling').
The '-ling' suffix originally meant 'little' or 'young one' in Germanic languages, which is why we have 'ducklings' and 'goslings'—so 'dearling' literally means 'little dear,' perfectly capturing how we talk to people we love.
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