Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Atheling \Ath"el*ing\ ([a^]th"[e^]l*[i^]ng), n. [AS.
   [ae][eth]eling noble, fr. [ae][eth]ele noble, akin to G. adel
   nobility, edel noble. The word [ae][eth]el, 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
   {[AE]theling}.]