*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of being

Originated 1250–1300 from Middle English being; see be + -ing.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
conj

Given that; since.

noun

A living creature. · The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state. · That which has actuality (materially or in concept). · One's basic nature, or the qualities thereof; essence or personality.

verb

present participle and gerund of be

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Originated 1250–1300 from Middle English being; see be + -ing.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    [
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      "-ing"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "conj",
      "glosses": [
        "Given that; since."
      ],
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        "The state or fact of existence, consciousness, or life, or something in such a state.",
        "That which has actuality (materially or in concept).",
        "One's basic nature, or the qualities thereof; essence or personality."
      ],
      "tags": [
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "present participle and gerund of be"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "gerund",
        "participle",
        "present"
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    "lexicalSenses": 1,
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for being →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YmVpbmc