gerund

[ jer-uh nd ]

/ ˈdʒɛr ənd /

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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.

Nearby words

gershom, gershwin, gershwin, george, gert, gertrude, gerund, gerundive, gervais, geryon, gerzean, gesamtkunstwerk

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 forms

ge·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

The infinitive, or its noun, is used for the gerund, or a gerundial phrase in English.
The International Auxiliary Language Esperanto|George Cox
The participle has been called an adjectival verbal; the gerund may be called a noun verbal.
An English Grammar|W. M. Baskervill and J. W. Sewell
A gerund may (a) state an additional detail or circumstance, (b) denote cause, manner or means.
Heath's Modern Language Series: The Spanish American Reader|Ernesto Nelson
The gerund is n, nte, naqu xite, or nacatte 'since it is not.'
Diego Collado's Grammar of the Japanese Language|Diego Collado

Or Earle may have had in view passages in which the gerund of transitive verbs with est govern an object.'
The Book Lovers' Anthology|Various

British Dictionary definitions for gerund

gerund

/ (ˈdʒɛrənd) /

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 Forms

gerundial (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

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.”