different between manling vs madling

English

Etymology

From man +? -ling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?mænl??/
• Rhymes: -ænl??

Noun

manling (plural manlings)

1. A little man; a man of short stature.

   Synonym: mankin

   • 1641, Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries Made Upon Men and Matter:

     Again, a man so gracious and in high favour with the Emperor, as Augustus often called him his witty manling (for the littleness of his stature), and, if we may trust antiquity, had designed him for a secretary of estate, and invited him to the palace, which he modestly prayed off and refused.

2. (literary) A young man; a boy.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:boy

   • 1965, Frank Herbert, Dune, Berkley (2005), ?ISBN, page 68:

     "Before I do your bidding, manling," Mapes said, "I must cleanse the way between us. [...]

See also

• manlet

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