Definition: A verbal ending in -ing that functions in a sentence as a noun.
Etymology:
From the Latin, "to carry on"
Examples:
- "The dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the young."
(Willa Cather)
- "All talk of winning the people by appealing to their intelligence, of conquering them by impeccable syllogism, is so much moonshine."
(H. L. Mencken)
- "Eighty percent of success is showing up."
(Woody Allen)
- "She quarreled with the nanny and accused her of brushing Misha's teeth sideways rather than up and down."
(Woody Allen, Mere Anarchy, 2007)
Pronunciation: JER-end
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