-ing

¹ American  

1. a suffix of nouns formed from verbs, expressing the action of the verb or its result, product, material, etc. (the art of building; a new building; cotton wadding ). It is also used to form nouns from words other than verbs (offing; shirting ). Verbal nouns ending in -ing are often used attributively (the printing trade ) and in forming compounds (drinking song ). In some compounds (sewing machine ), the first element might reasonably be regarded as the participial adjective, -ing2, the compound thus meaning “a machine that sews,” but it is commonly taken as a verbal noun, the compound being explained as “a machine for sewing.”

---

-ing ² American  

1. a suffix forming the present participle of verbs (walking; thinking ), such participles being often used as participial adjectives: warring factions.

---

-ing ³ American  

1. a native English suffix meaning “one belonging to,” “of the kind of,” “one descended from,” and sometimes having a diminutive force, formerly used in the formation of nouns: farthing; shilling; bunting; gelding; whiting.

---

-ing ¹ British  

suffix

1. (from verbs) the action of, process of, result of, or something connected with the verb

   coming

   meeting

   a wedding

   winnings

2. (from other nouns) something used in, consisting of, involving, etc

   tubing

   soldiering

3. ( from other parts of speech )

   an outing

---

-ing ² British  

suffix

1. forming the present participle of verbs

   walking

   believing

2. forming participial adjectives

   a growing boy

   a sinking ship

3. forming adjectives not derived from verbs

   swashbuckling

---

-ing ³ British  

suffix

1. a person or thing having a certain quality or being of a certain kind

   sweeting

   whiting

---

Pronunciation

The common suffix -ing2 can be pronounced in modern English as either or , with either the velar nasal consonant , symbolized in IPA as [ŋ], or the alveolar nasal consonant , symbolized in IPA as [n]. The pronunciation therefore reflects the use of one nasal as against another and not, as is popularly supposed, “dropping the g, ” since no actual g -sound is involved. Many speakers use both pronunciations, depending on the speed of utterance and the relative formality of the occasion, with considered the more formal variant. For some educated speakers, especially in the southern United States and Britain, is in fact the more common pronunciation, while for other educated speakers, is common in virtually all circumstances. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say , even in informal circumstances.

Etymology

Origin of -ing¹

Middle English; Old English -ing, -ung

Origin of -ing²

Middle English -ing, -inge ; the variant -in (usually represented in spelling as -inʾ ) continues Middle English -inde, -ende, Old English -ende

Origin of -ing³

Middle English, Old English -ing, cognate with Old Norse -ingr, -ungr, Gothic -ings

Example Sentences

If Warsh were to be nominated “it’s good news for the dollar, which can price out some risks of a more dovish pick,” ING FX strategist Francesco Pesole said.

From Barron's

“The dollar has been waiting for a catalyst for a recovery, and the news that Kevin Warsh is likely to be announced as the new Fed chair nominee today offers exactly that,” said Francesco Pesole, FX strategist at ING.

From Barron's

“Poland’s high-quality and inexpensive workforce is gradually becoming exhausted,” said Adam Antoniak, senior economist for Poland at ING.

From The Wall Street Journal

The country accounted for roughly 19% of global LNG export volumes last year, according to ING.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the remark was somewhat impactful, it came after "the biggest move in the dollar had already happened," said Francesco Pesole, a foreign exchange strategist at ING.

From Barron's

Related Words

• computer-generated
• virtual