Word
ling
/ˈɫɪŋ/
Definitions
02a type of plant
n. a low-growing plant with small purple flowers that grows on wild hills.
n. a common species of heather, Calluna vulgaris, typically found on moors and heaths.
“The hills were covered in purple ling during the late summer months.”
“The vast expanses of the Scottish Highlands are famous for their carpets of ling, which provide essential habitat for local wildlife.”
British English
03linguistics
n. a short, casual way to say 'linguistics' — the study of language.
n. an informal clipping of linguistics, used primarily within academic or student contexts.
“She decided to take an intro to ling course in her first year of university.”
“The department offers several joint honours degrees, allowing students to combine ling with modern languages or psychology.”
Informal
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“Commercial beekeepers across Europe regularly move hives onto heather moorland during the summer flowering of ling heather.” Etymology
From Middle English lenge, from Middle French leynge (compare French lingue), from Middle Dutch *lenge (modern Dutch leng). Cognate with Old Norse langa. Probably related to long.
From Middle English lyng, from Old Norse lyng.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ling