participle

views updated

par·ti·ci·ple / ˈpärtəˌsipəl/ • n. Gram. a word formed from a verb (e.g., going, gone, being, been) and used as an adjective (e.g., working woman, burned toast) or a noun (e.g., good breeding). In English, participles are also used to make compound verb forms (e.g., is going, has been). Compare with gerund.DERIVATIVES: par·ti·cip·i·al / ˌpärtəˈsipēəl/ adj.par·ti·cip·i·al·ly / ˌpärtəˈsipēəlē/ adv.

More From encyclopedia.com