-ing

I

aff. 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). Compare -ing

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Etymology: ME; OE -ing, -ung II

-ing

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

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Etymology: ME -ing, -inge; the var. -in (usu. represented in sp. as -in') continues ME -inde, -ende, OE -ende pron: The common suffix -ing II can be pronounced in modern English as [[t]-ɪŋ[/t]] or [[t]-ɪn[/t]] The two pronunciations reflect the use of one nasal as against another (velar vs. alveolar) and not, as is popularly supposed, “dropping the g, ” since no actual g-sound is involved. Many speakers use both [[t]-ɪŋ[/t]] and [[t]-ɪn[/t]] depending on speed of utterance and the relative formality of the occasion. For some educated speakers, esp. in the southern United States and Britain, [[t]-ɪn[/t]] is the common pronunciation, while others use [[t]-ɪŋ[/t]] virtually always. In response to correction from perceived authorities, many American speakers who would ordinarily use [[t]-ɪn[/t]] at least some of the time make a conscious effort to say [[t]-ɪŋ[/t]] however informal the circumstances. III

-ing

aff. a 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: bunting; farthing; gelding; shilling; whiting. Compare -ling

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Etymology: ME, OE -ing, c. ON -ingr, -ungr, Go -ings