Definition
A minor god or a lesser deity; sometimes used affectionately for a child thought to be God-sent or divinely blessed.
Etymology
From 'god' + '-ling' (Old English diminutive suffix, from Proto-Germanic). Similar to 'godlet,' but '-ling' carries more affection or less dismissal than '-let.'
Kelly Says
Medieval texts used 'godling' endearingly for children born to childless couples—they literally believed these babies were 'god-sent' gifts, and the language encoded this magical thinking about random chance as divine intervention.
Translations
ARالعربية
إله صغير
ʾilāh ṣaġīr
CSČeština
božička
/boʒɪtʃka/
DADansk
gudinde
/ɡoːˈðenˀə/
DEDeutsch
Götterlein
/ˈɡœtɐlaɪn/
ESEspañol
dioscillo
di.osi.ʎo
FAفارسی
خدای کوچک
khodāye kuchak
FISuomi
jumalatar
/ˈjumɑlɑtɑr/
FRFrançais
dieu enfant
/dɥɛ ɑ̃.fɑ̃/
IDBahasa Indonesia
dewa kecil
dewa kəcil
ITItaliano
divinità
/di.vi.niˈta/
MSBahasa Melayu
dewa kecil
dewa kəcil
MYမြန်မာ
ဘုရားလေး
bùrá lè
NLNederlands
godje
/ɣɔtjə/
NONorsk
gudinne
/ɡʉːˈdɪnːə/
PLPolski
boginka
/bɔˈɡʲiŋka/
PTPortuguês
deusinho
de.uˈzi.ɲu
RUРусский
богоподобный
bogopodobnyy
SVSvenska
gudinna
/ɡʉːˈdɪnːa/
SWKiswahili
mungu mdogo
mungu mdogo
TLTL
diyos na bata
diyos na bata
UKУкраїнська
богиня
bohynya
VITiếng Việt
thần linh
thần linh
YOYO
olọrun kekere
olọrun kekere
ZUZU
inkosi encane
inkosi encane