dilling

English

Etymology 1

Verb

dilling

1. present participle and gerund of dill

Etymology 2

Noun

dilling (plural dillings)

1. (obsolete) A darling or favourite.
   • 1605, George Chapman, Ben Jonson, John Marston, Eastward Hoe:

     To make up the match with my eldest daughter, my wife's dilling, whom she longs to call madam.

   • 1630, Michael Drayton, The Muses' Elizium:

     Whilst the birds billing, / Each one with his dilling.

2. (obsolete) The youngest child.

   Synonym: baby

3. (UK, dialect, obsolete) The runt of a litter.

References

• “dilling”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.