Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “making” come from?

Making comes from Middle English -ing and Old English -ing, derived from Proto-Indo-European mag- meaning to knead or fashion.

making (English): The act of forming, causing, or constituting;...

Definitions

  1. The act of forming, causing, or constituting;...

Ancestry of “making”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1English-ingUsed to form gerunds, a type of verbal nouns,...
2Old English-ingForming nouns from verbs, indicating action,...
3Old English-tūn—
4Old Englishtūnenclosure, yard; place; dwelling
5Proto-West Germanictūnfence
6Proto-Germanictūnąfence; enclosure
7Gaulishdunumfort; hill, hillfort
8Proto-Celticdūnomstronghold, rampart
9Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “making”

  • policymaking
  • lovemaking
  • filmmaking
  • peacemaking
  • rulemaking
  • sensemaking
  • dressmaking
  • matchmaking
  • homemaking
  • winemaking
  • moneymaking
  • printmaking
  • merrymaking
  • shoemaking
  • grantmaking
  • haymaking
  • mythmaking
  • papermaking
  • rainmaking
  • steelmaking
  • moviemaking
  • speechmaking
  • cheesemaking
  • mapmaking
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →