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gerund

[jer-uh nd]
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noun Grammar.

(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 gen., dicendō, dat., abl., etc., “saying.”See also gerundive(def 1).
the English -ing form of a verb when functioning as a noun, as writing in Writing is easy.
a form similar to the Latin gerund in meaning or function.

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RELATED WORDS

deponent, infinitive, participle

Origin of gerund

1505–15; < 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
Related formsge·run·di·al [juh-ruhn-dee-uh l] /dʒəˈrʌn di əl/, adjectivege·run·di·al·ly, adverbnon·ge·run·di·al, adjective

Usage note

See me.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for gerund

Historical Examples of gerund

British Dictionary definitions for gerund

gerund

noun

a noun formed from a verb, denoting an action or state. In English, the gerund, like the present participle, is formed in -ingthe living is easy
Derived Formsgerundial (dʒɪˈrʌndɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for gerund

C16: from Late Latin gerundium, from Latin gerundum something to be carried on, from gerere to wage
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
Word Origin and History for gerund
n.

1510s, from Late Latin gerundium, from Old Latin gerundum "to be carried out," gerundive of gerere "to bear, carry" (see gest). In Latin, a verbal noun used for all cases of the infinitive but the nominative; applied in English to verbal nouns in -ing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.