atheling

or aeth·el·ing

[ ath-uh-ling, ath- ]

noun

, Early English History.

1. a man of royal blood; a prince.

atheling

/ ˈæθɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. (in Anglo-Saxon England) a prince of any of the royal dynasties

Word History and Origins

Origin of atheling¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English ætheling (cognate with Old High German ediling, adalung, Old Saxon ethiling ), equivalent to æthel(u) “noble family” (cognate with Old High German adoul, German Adel, Old Saxon athal(i), Old Norse athal “nature”; akin to Tocharian atäl “man”) + -ing noun suffix; -ing ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of atheling¹

Old English ætheling, from æthelu noble family + -ing ³; related to Old High German adaling, Old Norse öthlingr

Example Sentences

Like William Ætheling, Arthur's birth represented a new beginning.

From Salon

Despite having more than 20 half-siblings, William Ætheling was likely the only legitimate son of Henry I, King of England and Duke of Normandy.

From Salon

In a post about the Carcosa–Yellow King mythos’ relationship to True Detective, Alyssa Rosenberg pointed to a story by James Blish called “More Light,” in which a character named James Blish visits a friend named Bill Atheling, who is in poor health because he has been reading The King In Yellow, the mythical play that drives its readers insane.

From Slate

Atheling tells Blish that he hasn’t shown his wife the text, and Blish understands why.

From Slate

While it won’t carry an enormous amount of clout in the Atheling, it will have some influence: the two most successful parties, the center-right Independence and Progressive parties, have only 19 members of parliament each.

From Forbes