Ath"el*ing (#), n. [AS. aeeling noble, fr. aeele noble, akin to G. adel nobility, edel noble. The word aeel, E. ethel, is in many AS. proper names, as Ethelwolf, noble wolf; Ethelbald, noble bold; Ethelbert, noble bright.]

An Anglo-Saxon prince or nobleman; esp., the heir apparent or a prince of the royal family.

[Written also Adeling and Aetheling.]

 

© Webster 1913.