A person from the east; especially, a member of the Hanseatic League or a merchant from Eastern Europe in medieval times.
From 'east' plus '-erling' (diminutive/inhabitant suffix, related to Old English '-ling'). Used from the 14th-16th centuries to describe Baltic and Eastern European traders.
Medieval English speakers borrowed 'easterling' from Norse/German to identify these merchant groups—showing how trade created new words faster than formal language rules could keep up.
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