gerund

[ jer-uhnd ]
See synonyms for gerund on Thesaurus.com
nounGrammar.
  1. (in certain languages, as Latin) a form regularly derived from a verb and functioning as a noun, having in Latin all case forms but the nominative, as Latin dicendī genitive, dicendō dative, ablative, etc., “saying.”: See also gerundive (def. 1).

  2. the English -ing form of a verb when functioning as a noun, as writing in Writing is easy.

  1. a form similar to the Latin gerund in meaning or function.

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Origin of gerund

1
First recorded in 1505–15; from Late Latin gerundium, Latin gerundum “that which is to be carried on,” equivalent to ger(ere) “to bear, carry on” + -undum, variant of -endum, gerund suffix

Grammar notes for gerund

See me.

Other words from gerund

  • ge·run·di·al [juh-ruhn-dee-uhl], /dʒəˈrʌn di əl/, adjective
  • ge·run·di·al·ly, adverb
  • non·ge·run·di·al, adjective

Words Nearby gerund

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use gerund in a sentence

  • Well, if you have, how are you going to spot the gerund and the gerundive?

    The Varmint | Owen Johnson
  • "gerund, sir," said the Coffee-colored Angel with more conviction.

    The Varmint | Owen Johnson
  • She could hardly wait to take off her coat when she reached her room in Mrs. gerund's lodging-house.

    Find the Woman | Arthur Somers Roche
  • Usually the phrase is used like an adjective; occasionally it is used like a noun (sometimes called the gerund phrase).

    Business English | Rose Buhlig
  • The prepositional and infinitive phrases may have all three uses; the participial phrase has two—adjective and noun (gerund).

    Business English | Rose Buhlig

British Dictionary definitions for gerund

gerund

/ (ˈdʒɛrənd) /


noun
  1. a noun formed from a verb, denoting an action or state. In English, the gerund, like the present participle, is formed in -ing: the living is easy

Origin of gerund

1
C16: from Late Latin gerundium, from Latin gerundum something to be carried on, from gerere to wage

Derived forms of gerund

  • gerundial (dʒɪˈrʌndɪəl), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for gerund

gerund

[ (jer-uhnd) ]


A form of a verb that ends in -ing and operates as a noun in a sentence: “Thinking can be painful.”

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.