# begging

Pronunciation: say "BEG-ing" /ˈbɛɡɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of beg. — present participle and gerund of beg
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of beg. Use this form for an action happening now or as the name of the action.
   - _The stranded hiker was begging for help along the roadside._
   - _Begging for one more chance, she wrote him a long apology._

## Noun

2. The action of asking others for money, food, or other charity, especially in a public place.
   - Simple: Asking strangers for money or food, often out in public.
   - _The city passed a law against begging in tourist areas._
   - _Years of begging had slowly worn down her pride._
3. Money or goods acquired through the act of asking others for charity.
   - Simple: Money or food that someone collects by asking strangers for help.
   - _She counted the morning's begging and found only a handful of coins._
   - _At dusk he pooled his begging with the others under the bridge._

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3** — From Middle English begging (also beggyng, beggynge), equivalent to "beg" plus the gerund ending "-ing".
**Meaning 1** — From Middle English beggin, beggyn, beggyng (also beggand), the present participle of beggen ("to beg"), equivalent to "beg" plus the participle ending "-ing".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/begging (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).