manling

Etymology

From man +‎ -ling.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmænlɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ænlɪŋ

Noun

manling (plural manlings)

1. A little man; a man of short stature.
   • 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.
   • 1894, Rudyard Kipling, "Kaa's Hunting", The Jungle Book:

     "Hah!" said Kaa with a chuckle, "he has friends everywhere, this manling. Stand back, manling. And hide you, O Poison People. I break down the wall."

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

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