Meanings
Forms nouns from adjectives, indicating possession of or connection with a quality or property
schwach (“weak”) + -ling → Schwächling (“weakling”)
Forms nouns from other nouns, indicating a noun associated with or subordinate to it
Haft (“imprisonment”) + -ling → Häftling (“prisoner, inmate”)
Forms nouns from verbs, indicating a noun, especially a person, prone to doing an action
saugen (“to suck”) + -ling → Säugling (“infant, suckling”)
-ling