ing

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A meadow; especially, a low meadow near a river. The word is found in some local names, as Ingham, Ingthorpe, Dorking, Deeping, Wapping, etc.
2. n. A suffix of Anglo-Saxon origin, usually forming nouns from verbs, expressing the action of the verb. Such nouns may be formed from any verb whatever, and are usually called verbal nouns, being in grammars and dictionaries usually accounted a part of the verb-inflection. It is often a mere chance whether, in a particular instance, the form in -ing is treated as a noun or as a verb. These verbal nouns are now identical in form with the present form of adjectives (present participles) in -ing. In sentences like “he is building a house,” the form in -ing, though originally a noun in -ing, is now regarded as a present participle in -ing, and treated, with the auxiliary is, as a finite transitive verb. Strictly, all verbal nouns in -ing, being independent words, and no part of the verb, should be entered and defined separately in the dictionaries; but their great number (limited only by the number of verbs) makes this impracticable, and their mixture with the verb, from which their meaning can always be inferred, makes it unnecessary. In this dictionary verbal nouns are entered when there is anything noteworthy in their use or history; others are, to save space, ignored, or if noticed, as in quotations, are included under the original verb. The suffix -ing as attached to verbs is equivalent in force to the Latin suffix -tio(n-), E. -tion (-ation, etc.). In some words, as evening, morning, no accompanying verb is in use.
3. n. A suffix of Anglo-Saxon origin, the regular formative of the English present participle of verbs, as in coming, blowing, hearing, leading, etc., such participles being often used as ordinary adjectives, as in ‘the coming man,’ ‘a leading citizen,’ ‘a charming woman,’ etc. It corresponds to the Latin suffixes -ant, -ent (which see). By reason of the alteration and the mixture of idiomatic uses of the verbal noun (in -ing) and the verbal adjective (present participle), great confusion has resulted, and in many constructions the form in -ing may be referred with equal propriety to either origin. See -ing.
4. n. A suffix of nouns, denoting origin, and hence a common patronymic, remaining in some English family or local names and having usually a derivative or patronymic force, ‘son of …,’ as in Anglo-Saxon Billing, son of Bill (literally, ‘a sword’); Beorming, son of Beorm; Æthelwulfing, son of Ethelwulf; æthling, son of a noble, etc. Such patronymic names, extending to all the members of a particular family, or tribe, or community, gave rise to many local names formed of such patronymics, properly in genitive plural, with hām, home (village), as in Anglo-Saxon Beormingahām, ‘the Beormings’ town,' Birmingham; Wælsingahām, Walsingham; Snottingahām, Nottingham; etc. In some words, as farthing, herring, riding, whiting (a fish), lording, gelding, the suffix is less definite. In penny and king the suffix is disguised.
5. n. An apparent suffix in some local names, being ing, a meadow, in composition, as in Dorking, etc.

Wiktionary

1. n. A water meadow
2. n. The name of the letter for the ng sound IPA: /ŋ/ in Pitman shorthand.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Obs. or Prov. Eng. A pasture or meadow; generally one lying low, near a river.