-ing

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

-ing3 suffix forming masc. sbs. based on sbs. or adjs. with the sense ‘one belonging to or of the kind of. .’, ‘possessing the qualities of..’, as a patronymic ‘one descended from..’; OE. -ing (corr. to OHG. -ing, ON. -ingr, -ungr) as in: cyning KING, flȳming fugitive, lytling little one; patronymics, as Æœlwulfing/Wodening son of Æthelwulf/Woden; names of coins, pending, penning PENNY, sċilling SHILLING; fractional parts, feorðing FARTHING, thriding RIDING (of ON. orig.). Other words, of various ages from OE. onwards, are chiefly names of animals and fruits, as bunting, gelding (of ON. orig.), herring (OE.), sweeting, whiting (OE.).

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T. F. HOAD. "-ing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "-ing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ing2.html

T. F. HOAD. "-ing." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-ing2.html

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