underling

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English underling, from Old English underling. By surface analysis, under +‎ -ling. === Pronunciation === (General American) IPA(key): /ˈʌndɚlɪŋ/ === Noun === underling (plural underlings) A subordinate, or person of lesser rank or authority. A low, wretched person. ==== Antonyms ==== overling ==== Descendants ==== → German: Unterling (calque) ==== Translations ==== === See also === groundling hireling === References === == Old English == === Etymology === under- +‎ -ling === Noun === underling m (Late Old English) underling, subordinate ==== Declension ==== Strong a-stem: === References === Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “underling”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.