[Being called "dear" is one thing. Dear boy is just amusing, when you literally died of old age. There's a sharp little laugh from the other end.]

Groundling just means someone who lives on the ground, rather than in the sea or in the sky. We have so many different intelligent species on my home world that we have general words to lump people together. Otherwise we'd have to remember dozens of names.

If you don't like it, I won't call you that. Though you'll have to tell me what I should call you, instead.