Nearby Words
-ing
1a suffix of nouns formed from verbs, expressing the action of the verb or its result, product, material, etc. (the art of building; a new building; cotton wadding). It is also used to form nouns from words other than verbs (offing; shirting). Verbal nouns ending in -ing are often used attributively (the printing trade) and in forming compounds (drinking song). In some compounds (sewing machine), the first element might reasonably by regarded as the participial adjective, -ing2, the compound thus meaning “a machine that sews,” but it is commonly taken as a verbal noun, the compound being explained as “a machine for sewing.”
Compare -ing2.
Origin:
Middle English; Old English -ing, -ung
Middle English; Old English -ing, -ung
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-ing
is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
-ing
2a suffix forming the present participle of verbs (walking; thinking), such participles being often used as participial adjectives: warring factions.
Compare -ing1.
Origin:
Middle English -ing, -inge; the variant -in (usually represented in spelling as -inʾ) continues Middle English -inde, -ende, Old English -ende
Middle English -ing, -inge; the variant -in (usually represented in spelling as -inʾ) continues Middle English -inde, -ende, Old English -ende
Pronunciation note
The common suffix -ing2 can be pronounced in modern English as either
[‐ing] or [‐in], with either the velar nasal consonant [ng], symbolized in IPA as [ŋ], or the alveolar nasal consonant [n], symbolized in IPA as [n]. The [‐in] pronunciation therefore reflects the use of one nasal as against another and not, as is popularly supposed, “dropping the g,” since no actual g-sound is involved. EXPAND
Many speakers use both pronunciations, depending on the speed of utterance and the relative formality of the occasion, with [‐ing] considered the more formal variant. For some educated speakers, especially in the southern United States and Britain, [‐in] is in fact the more common pronunciation, while for other educated speakers, [‐ing] is common in virtually all circumstances. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use [‐in] at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say [‐ing], even in informal circumstances.
COLLAPSE
The common suffix -ing2 can be pronounced in modern English as either
[‐ing] or [‐in], with either the velar nasal consonant [ng], symbolized in IPA as [ŋ], or the alveolar nasal consonant [n], symbolized in IPA as [n]. The [‐in] pronunciation therefore reflects the use of one nasal as against another and not, as is popularly supposed, “dropping the g,” since no actual g-sound is involved. EXPANDMany speakers use both pronunciations, depending on the speed of utterance and the relative formality of the occasion, with
[‐ing] considered the more formal variant. For some educated speakers, especially in the southern United States and Britain, [‐in] is in fact the more common pronunciation, while for other educated speakers, [‐ing] is common in virtually all circumstances. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use [‐in] at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say [‐ing], even in informal circumstances.COLLAPSE
-ing
3Compare -ling1.
Origin:
Middle English, Old English -ing, cognate with Old Norse -ingr, -ungr, Gothic -ings
Middle English, Old English -ing, cognate with Old Norse -ingr, -ungr, Gothic -ings
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
|
Link To -ing
Collins
World English Dictionary
| -ing1 | |
| —suffix forming nouns | |
| 1. | (from verbs) the action of, process of, result of, or something connected with the verb: coming; meeting; a wedding; winnings |
| 2. | (from other nouns) something used in, consisting of, involving, etc: tubing; soldiering |
| 3. | (from other parts of speech): an outing |
| [Old English -ing, -ung] | |
| -ing2 | |
| —suffix | |
| 1. | forming the present participle of verbs: walking; believing |
| 2. | forming participial adjectives: a growing boy; a sinking ship |
| 3. | forming adjectives not derived from verbs: swashbuckling |
| [Middle English -ing, -inde, from Old English -ende] | |
| -ing3 | |
| —suffix forming nouns | |
| a person or thing having a certain quality or being of a certain kind: sweeting; whiting | |
| [Old English -ing; related to Old Norse -ingr] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
-ing
suffix attached to verbs to mean their action, result, product, material, etc., from O.E. -ing, -ung, from P.Gmc. *unga (cf. O.N. -ing, Du. -ing, Ger. -ung). Originally used to form nouns from verbs and to denote completed or habitual action. Its use has been greatly expanded in M.E. and Mod.Eng. The
EXPANDother use of -ing is to form the prp. of verbs, and in this sense it developed from O.E. -ende (cf. Ger. -end, Goth. -and, Skt. -ant, Gk. -on, L. -ans). It evolved into -ing in 13c.-14c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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