-ing

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Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪŋ/, /ɪn/, /ən/
• (southern, _, North West England, northern, _, West Midlands, Derbyshire, South, _, Yorkshire, Kent) IPA: /ɪŋɡ/
• (Kent, some dialects of, _, Australia) IPA: /ɪŋk/, /ɪŋɡ/
• (America, and, Canada, sometimes) IPA: /in/, /iŋ/

Suffix

1. Used to form nouns or noun-like words (or elements of noun phrases) from verbs, denoting the act of doing something, an action, or the embodiment of an action.
   1. As true nouns.

      My hearing is not good.

      I have had several meetings with him.

   2. As gerunds.

      Smoking is bad for your health.

      She has a habit of sleeping late.

      I like meeting people.

2. Used to form nouns denoting materials or systems of objects which are used or employed in an action, or considered collectively.

   Roofing is material that is used to roof.

   Clothing is material with which one is clothed.

   The piping is a system of pipes considered collectively.

Synonyms

• (act of doing something, action) -tion, -ment
• (activity) -ery, -ment
• (collection) -age, -ery

Translations

• French: -age
• German: Use zu + infinitive
• Italian: (first-conjugation gerund) -ando, (second- and third-conjugation gerund) -endo
• Portuguese: -ando, -endo, -indo
• Spanish: -ando, -endo

Translations

• French: -age, -tion, -ment
• German: -ung
• Italian: -zione (-azione, -uzione), -mento, (informal) -aggio
• Russian: -ание

Translations

• Italian: -tura

Etymology 2

From Middle English -inge, -ynge, alteration of earlier -inde, -ende, -and (see -and), from Old English -ende, from Proto-West Germanic *-andī, from Proto-Germanic *-andz, from Proto-Indo-European *-onts.

Cognate with Western Frisian -end, Dutch -end, German -end, Swedish -and, Icelandic -andi, Gothic -𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍃, -𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃, Latin -ans, -ant-, Ancient Greek -ων, Sanskrit -अन्त्. More at -and.

Suffix

1. Used to form present participles of verbs.

   Rolling stones gather no moss.

   You are making a mess.

Translations

• French: -ant
• German: -end
• Italian: (first-conjugation persent participle) -ante, (second- and third-conjugation present participle) -ente
• Portuguese: -ando, -endo, -indo
• Russian: -ающий
• Spanish: -ando (verbs ending in -ar), -iendo, -yendo (verbs ending in -er and -ir)

Suffix

1. (no longer productive) Forming derivative nouns (originally masculine), with the sense ‘son of, belonging to’, as in placenames, patronymics or diminutives; -ite.

   Ealing, Dorking, Reading, Worthing

   Browning, Channing, Ewing

   • bunt + -ing → bunting

2. skill + -ing → shilling
3. fourth + -ing → farthing
4. Forming nouns having a specified quality, characteristic, or nature; of the kind of

   sweet + -ing → sweeting

   white + -ing → whiting

   geld + -ing → gelding

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