| a 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.” |
| a suffix forming the present participle of verbs (walking; thinking), such participles being often used as participial adjectives: warring factions. |
[‑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. [‑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.| a native English suffix meaning “one belonging to,” “of the kind of,” “one descended from,” and sometimes having a diminutive force, formerly used in the formation of nouns: farthing; shilling; bunting; gelding; whiting. |
| -ing 1 suff.
[Middle English, alteration (influenced by -inge, noun or gerund suff.; see -ing2) of -ende, -inde, from Old English -ende, present participle suff.] |
| -ing 2 suff.
[Middle English, from Old English -ung, -ing.] |
| -ing 3 suff. One having a specified quality or nature: sweeting. [Middle English, from Old English, belonging to, descended from.] |
