Standard Lemma guide

ling

name · noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • lĭng
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: lĭng
  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /lɪŋ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: L IH1 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lotid, gadid, gadiform, fish, vertebrate, animal, organism, creature

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any of various codlike saltwater fish often used as food by humans, those of the genus Molva, in the family Lotidae.

A common ling (Molva molva).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, especially, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: lotid, gadid, gadiform, fish, vertebrate, animal, organism, creature

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any of various varieties of heather or broom.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any of various varieties of heather or broom.

Common heather (Calluna vulgaris)

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

Clipping of linguistics.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

elongate freshwater cod of northern Europe and Asia and North America having barbels around its mouth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: burbot, eelpout, cusk, Lota lota

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: cod, codfish

8

noun

Meaning 8

American hakes

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: hake

9

noun

Meaning 9

elongated marine food fish of Greenland and northern Europe; often salted and dried

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Molva molva

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gadoid, gadoid fish

10

noun

Meaning 10

common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heather, Scots heather, broom, Calluna vulgaris

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: heath

11

noun

Meaning 11

water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4 prongs

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ling ko, Trapa bicornis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: water chestnut, water chestnut plant, caltrop

History

Etymology

From Mandarin 令 (Lìng), 凌 (Líng) or Eastern Min 林 (Lìng).

From Middle English lenge, of Germanic origin. Cognate with Old Norse langa. Probably related to long.

From Middle English ling, linge, from Old Norse lyng.

Across languages

Translations

36 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: llengua de bacallà — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Czech: mník — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Dutch: leng — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Faroese: longa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Finnish: molva — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • French: lotte — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Galician: maruca — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Hungarian: gadóchal — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Icelandic: langa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Irish: langa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Irish: bod mór — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Māori: hoka — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Māori: hokarari — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Middle English: lenge — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Old Norse: langa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Scottish Gaelic: langa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Spanish: maruca — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Swedish: långa — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Welsh: honos — Any of various marine food fish, of the genus Molva
  • Bulgarian: калуна (kaluna) — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Catalan: bruguerola — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Czech: vřes — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Finnish: kanerva — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Galician: queiroa — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Galician: uz — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Galician: carroucha — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Galician: carpaza — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • German: Besenheide — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Hungarian: csarab — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Hungarian: hanga — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Irish: fraoch — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Italian: brugo — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Middle English: lyng — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Scottish Gaelic: fraoch — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Swedish: ljung — Any of various varieties of heather or broom
  • Welsh: grug — Any of various varieties of heather or broom