different between gadling vs madling

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 mad +? -ling.

Noun

madling (plural madlings)

1. A mad creature; one who acts wildly or foolishly.
   • 1881, Benjamin Preston, Dialect and other poems, with glossary of the local words:

     A madling acts in opposition to common sense. He is an owd madling whose reason has become childish by the lapse of years.

   • 2006, Jacqueline Carey, Godslayer: Volume II of The Sundering:

     A madling was speaking to them; a woman. Dani stopped with a mind to retreat.

   • 2010, George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, Songs of the Dying Earth:

     The madling—he had appeared today in the form of Austeri-Pranz, one of Vespanus' instructors at Roë, an intimidating man with bulging, rolling eyes and a formidable overbite—gave the question his consideration.

Etymology 2

Either from attributive use of madling (see above), or for maddling, present participle of maddle (“to be mad”). More at maddle.

Adjective

madling (comparative more madling, superlative most madling)

1. (dialect, chiefly archaic) Mad; insane; crazy.
   • 1881, Benjamin Preston, Dialect and other poems, with glossary of the local words:

     To be madling is to have our ideas confused.

   • 2006, Jacqueline Carey, Godslayer: Volume II of The Sundering:

     The madling woman snatched the tray from his hands, giving it to the Fjeltroll to inspect.

Anagrams

• malding