Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “sifting” come from?

Sifting comes from Middle English syftynge, derived from the Old English suffix -ing, which developed from Old English -ung, ultimately from Proto-Germanic -ungō.

sifting (English): present participle of sift; The act by which...

Definitions

  1. present participle of sift; The act by which...

Ancestry of “sifting”, 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 “sifting”

  • siftingly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →