different between gadling vs badling

English

Etymology

From Middle English gadling (“companion in arms; man, fellow; a person of low birth; rascal, scoundrel; bastard; base, lowborn”), gadeling (“vagabond”), from Old English geaduling, gædeling (“kinsman, fellow, companion in arms, comrade”), from Proto-West Germanic *gaduling, from Proto-Germanic *gadulingaz, *gadilingaz (“relative, kinsman”), equivalent to gad +? -ling. Related to Old English g?da (“comrade, companion”).

Noun

gadling (plural gadlings)

1. (obsolete) A companion in arms, fellow, comrade.
   • 14th century, unknown author, "The Killing of Abel", Towneley Cycle, manuscript of mid 15th century

     Gedlyngis, I am a fulle grete wat.

2. A roving vagabond; one who roams
3. A man of humble condition; a fellow; a low fellow; lowborn; originally comrade or companion, in a good sense, but later used in reproach
4. A spike on a gauntlet; a gad.

References

• Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English *badling, from Old English bædling (“an effeminate person”), equivalent to bad +? -ling.

Noun

badling (plural badlings)

1. (rare) An effeminate or womanish man.
2. (rare) One who is bad; a worthless person.

Synonyms

• (effeminate man): cockney, sissy, softling; see also Thesaurus:effeminate man
• (worthless person): hoon, loser, toerag; see also Thesaurus:worthless person

Etymology 2

Perhaps from an alteration of paddling.

Noun

badling (plural badlings)

1. A brood, group, or flock of ducks.

Anagrams

• Balding, Bigland, balding, blading