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gerund
[ jer-uhnd ]
/ 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 genitive, dicendō dative, ablative, 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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Origin of gerund
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/, adjectivege·run·di·al·ly, adverbnon·ge·run·di·al, adjectiveWords nearby gerund
Gershom, Gershwin, Gershwin, George, Gert, gertrude, gerund, gerundive, gervais, Geryon, Gerzean, Gesamtkunstwerk
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use gerund in a sentence
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 of gerund
gerundial (dʒɪˈrʌndɪəl), adjectiveWord 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
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.