gadling
A roving vagabond; one who roamsA roving vagabond; one who roams.
Meaning
4 sensesA roving vagabond; one who roams.
A man of humble condition; a fellow; a low fellow; lowborn. Originally comrade or companion in a good sense, but later used in reproach.
A spike on a gauntlet; a gad.
(obsolete)A companion in arms; fellow; comrade.
Origin
From Middle English gadelyng (“companion in arms; man, fellow; a person of low birth; rascFrom Middle English gadelyng (“companion in arms; man, fellow; a person of low birth; rascal, scoundrel; bastard; base, lowborn”), gadeling (“vagabond”), from Old English geaduling, gædeling (“kinsman, fellow, companion in arms, comrade”), from Proto-West Germanic *gaduling, from Proto-Germanic *gadulingaz, *gadilingaz (“relative, kinsman”), equivalent to gad + -ling. Related to Old English ġegada (“comrade, companion”).
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