English

Alternative forms

• -in', -in (colloquial)

Suffix

-ing

1. Used to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns, from verbs.

   the making of the film; the forging of the sword took several hours of planning, preparation, and metalwork

2. Used to form uncountable nouns from various parts of speech denoting materials or systems of objects considered collectively.

   Roofing is a material that covers a roof.

   Piping is a system of pipes considered collectively.

Usage notes

• If the suffix is applied to a word ending in an voiceless stop such as /p/, /t/, or /k/ (which are normally aspirated in English), the stops are unaspirated.
• Compare -tion, which can be applied to some (Latinate) verbs with similar meaning: the activating of the weapon must be stopped vs the activation of the weapon.

Synonyms

• (activity): -ery
• (collection): -age, -ery

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below are a guide only. See individual words for precise translations.

See also

• (collection): work

Etymology 2

From Middle English -inge, -ynge, alteration of earlier -inde, -ende, -and (see -and), from Old English -ende ‎(present participle ending), from Proto-Germanic *-andz ‎(present participle ending), from Proto-Indo-European *-nt-. Cognate with Dutch -end, German -end, Gothic -𐌰𐌽𐌳 ‎(-and), Latin -ans, -ant-, Ancient Greek -ον ‎(-on), Sanskrit -अन्त् ‎(-ant). More at -and.

Suffix

-ing

1. Used to form present participles of verbs.

   Rolling stones gather no moss.

   You are making a mess.

   • a. 2001, Brian Hall, “Beej's Guide to Network Programming”, “Using Internet Sockets”

     If you are connect()ing to a remote machine […] you can simply call connect(), it'll check to see if the socket is unworthy, and will bind() it to an unused local port if necessary.

Derived terms

• Category:English present participles

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English -ing, from Old English -ing, from Proto-Germanic *-ingaz. Akin to Old Norse -ingr, Gothic -𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍃 ‎(-iggs).

Suffix

-ing

1. Forming derivative nouns (originally masculine), with the sense ‘son of, belonging to’, as patronymics or diminutives. No longer productive in either sense.

   Browning, Channing, Ewing

   bunting

   shilling

   farthing

2. Having a specifed quality, characteristic, or nature; of the kind of

   sweeting

   whiting

   gelding

Derived terms

See also

• -ed

References

1. ↑ Allan Metcalf, How We Talk: American Regional English, Houghton Mifflin, Boston: 2000, p 143

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse -ingr, -angr, -ungr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /enɡ/, [eŋ], IPA^(key): /nenɡ/, [neŋ]

Suffix

-ing, -ning

1. added to a verb to form a noun for an action or process, the result of or the subject performing such action
2. designate a person of a certain origin or with certain qualities

Usage notes

Nouns are in the common gender, and inflected -(n)ing -en, -er, -erne.

Synonyms

• (added to a verb to form a noun for an action or process): -else, -tion

Derived terms

• Category:Danish words suffixed with -ing
• Category:Danish words suffixed with -ning

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪŋ/

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch -inge, from Old Dutch -unga, -onga, from Proto-Germanic *-ungō.

Suffix

-ing f ‎(plural -ingen, diminutive -inkje or -ingetje)

1. Creates action nouns referring to the performance a verb, or the result thereof.

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch -inc, from Old Dutch -ing, from Proto-Germanic *-ingaz.

Alternative forms

• -inck
• -ink

Suffix

-ing m

1. (no longer productive) Forms nouns for a person originating from a place or family.

Usage notes

The suffix is no longer productive and is not generally recognised in this meaning. It is found in many place names and surnames, however.

French

Etymology

From English.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /iŋ/, /iŋɡ/, /iɲ/

Suffix

-ing

1. suffix used to form nouns

Usage notes

• Most terms suffixed with -ing are borrowed directly from English, but some are not (surbooking, relooking).

Fuyug

Noun

-ing

1. plural marker

   amul ‎(“woman”) : amuling ‎(“women”)

References

• Robert L. Bradshaw, Fuyug grammar sketch (2007)

Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [iŋɡ]

Suffix

-ing

1. (frequentative suffix) Added to a verb to form a verb denoting repetitive action.

   kering ‎(“to circulate, orbit”)

Usage notes

• (frequentative suffix) Harmonic variants:

  -ong is added to back vowel words

  hajol ‎(“to bend”) → hajlong ‎(“to bow repetitively”)

  -eng is added to unrounded front vowel words

  derül ‎(“to clear up”) → dereng ‎(“to dawn; to appear vaguely”)

  -öng is added to rounded front vowel words

  őrül ‎(“to go insane”) → őrjöng ‎(“to be wild, furious, raging”)

  düh ‎(“fury, rage”) → dühöng ‎(“to be in a raging temper”)

  -ang is added to back vowel words (rare)

  lappang ‎(“to lurk”)

  -ing is added to front vowel words (rare)

  kering ‎(“to circulate, orbit”)

Derived terms

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

Low German

Suffix

-ing

• (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern) Used to form diminutives

Usage notes

• Nouns derived with this suffix are neuters and their plural end in -ings.
• The suffix can not only be added to nouns, but also to other parts of speech like adverbs.

Derved terms

• Bläuming
• Bräuding
• Dirning
• Döchting
• fixing
• Körling
• Nahwersching
• nipping

See also

• -ken
• (East Frisian) -je, -tje, -ke

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Old Norse -ingr m, -ingi m, -ing f

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪŋ/
• Rhymes: -ɪŋ

Suffix

-ing m, f or m (see below)

1. Used to form verbal nouns from verbs; -ing.

   Han var lei av masing.‎

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Usage notes

The gender is usually m or f (in Bokmål) if the word ended in -ing in Old Norse and m if it ended in -ingr or -ingi. Living things like islending ‎(“Icelander”) and dumming ‎(“idiot”) are usually m whilst inanimate things like stråling ‎(“radiation”) and eting ‎(“the act of eating”) usually are m, f.

Derived terms

See also

• -ning

References

• “-ing” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse -ingr m, -ingi m, -ing f

Suffix

-ing f or m (see below)

1. Used to form verbal nouns from verbs; -ing.

Usage notes

The gender is usually f (in Nynorsk) if the word ended in -ing in Old Norse and m if it ended in -ingr or -ingi. Living things like islending ‎(“Icelander”) and dumming ‎(“idiot”) are usually m whilst inanimate things like stråling ‎(“radiation”) and eting ‎(“the act of eating”) usually are f.

Derived terms

See Bokmål above.

See also

• -ning

References

• “-ing” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Variant of -ung.

Alternative forms

• -ung

Suffix

-ing f

1. Forming nouns from verbs, indicating action, process or material.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *-ingaz.

Suffix

-ing m

1. Forming derivatives of masculine nouns with sense of ‘belonging to, son of’.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse ingr, lingr, from Proto-Germanic *-ingaz.

Suffix

-ing

1. -ing; making nouns. See also -ning.

Derived terms

Uzbek

Suffix

-ing ‎(-инг)

1. second-person singular possessive suffix. Used after a noun ending in a consonant. It has the same meaning as sening ‎(“your”) placed before a noun.

   Bu kitobing.‎ ― This is your book.

Usage notes

When directly addressing another person, it is polite to use the plural -ingiz or -ngiz forms.