gerund

[ jer-uhnd ]

noun

, Grammar.

1. (in certain languages, as Latin) a form regularly derived from a verb and functioning as a noun, having in Latin all case forms but the nominative, as Latin dicendī genitive, dicendō dative, ablative, etc., “saying.” gerundive ( def 1 ).
2. the English -ing form of a verb when functioning as a noun, as writing in Writing is easy.
3. a form similar to the Latin gerund in meaning or function.

gerund

/ ˈdʒɛrənd; dʒɪˈrʌndɪəl /

noun

1. a noun formed from a verb, denoting an action or state. In English, the gerund, like the present participle, is formed in -ing

   the living is easy

gerund

1. A form of a verb that ends in -ing and operates as a noun in a sentence: “ Thinking can be painful.”

Grammar Note

See me.

Derived Forms

• gerundial, adjective

Other Words From

• ge·run·di·al [j, uh, -, ruhn, -dee-, uh, l], adjective
• ge·run·di·al·ly adverb
• non·ge·run·di·al adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gerund¹

First recorded in 1505–15; from Late Latin gerundium, Latin gerundum “that which is to be carried on,” equivalent to ger(ere) “to bear, carry on” + -undum, variant of -endum, gerund suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of gerund¹

C16: from Late Latin gerundium, from Latin gerundum something to be carried on, from gerere to wage

Example Sentences

Yglesias named his Substack “Slow Boring,” after a 1919 lecture by the German sociologist Max Weber titled “Politics as a Vocation,” wherein “boring” is not an adjective of dullness but a gerund of diligence.

From Washington Post

His intentional use of a gerund in the title allows “entertaining” to be read as both doing a thing and being a thing.

From New York Times

It’s also one of the activities Koenig recommends for parents to introduce their kids to “musiking,” her preferred gerund for describing the act of playing with melody, rhythm and movement.

From Washington Post

The “being” in “being with my students” is a gerund and gets the possessive pronoun “my.”

From Washington Post

Meanwhile, the gerund form of a verb the British use describes Trump’s frequent stance toward allies.

From Washington Post