barling

barling

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English *barling, diminutive of Middle English bar, bor (“boar”), equivalent to boar +‎ -ling. Compare Scots bar, bare, bair (“boar”).

Noun

barling (plural barlings)

1. (Britain dialectal) The smallest pig in a litter; runt.

Etymology 2

From Middle English barling, berling, equivalent to bar +‎ -ling. Likely of North Germanic origin; compare Swedish bärling (“pole”).

Noun

barling (plural barlings)

1. (rare or Britain dialectal, Scotland) A pole.
   • 1970, Admiralty Manual of Hydrographic Surveying - Volume 2:

     A tripod can be formed of three hop poles or barlings. The former can be laid in depths up to 2^ metres and the latter in depths up to about 5 metres at low water if the tidal range does not exceed about 3 metres.

   • 1981, Ann Hughes, ‎W. R. Owens, Seventeenth-century England, a Changing Culture:

     [...] one pair of fetters, one pair of couplings, 2 barlings [poles], 2s 6d; one saddle, one bridle, one panel, 12s; one corn hutch and 1 chaff bin, 6s 8d; one plough, one pair of harness and one coulter, 2 plough sha-[rest torn] with chains, 14s.

   • 2005, V. D. Golubchikova, ‎Z. Í. Khvtísíashvílí, ‎E. R. Akbalʹi︠a︡n, Severnai︠a︡ ėnt︠s︡iklopedii︠a︡:

     On shallow waters they moved upstream using small barlings; [...]

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• blaring