A young girl, a female child, or a term of endearment for a girl (archaic or dialectal usage).
From 'girl' + '-ing' suffix. The '-ing' suffix when added to nouns can create diminutives (smaller or affectionate versions), as in 'duckling' from 'duck.' The base 'girl' has uncertain origins, possibly Scandinavian.
The suffix '-ing' doesn't just make verbs into nouns—it also made 'girling' a tender, diminutive way to refer to a young girl, similar to how we say 'duckling' or 'gosling' for young waterfowl.
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