cataloging

1. 1
   verbUS

   Present participle and gerund of catalog.

   The librarian spent all morning cataloging the new arrivals.

   Cataloging thousands of fossils requires patience and a steady system.

   Note

   This is the American spelling at work. Catalog is the US form of catalogue, so the participle drops the -ue too and adds -ing directly, with no doubled g. With be it builds the progressive (she is cataloging the archive). As a gerund it can stand as subject or object while still taking an object of its own, as in cataloging thousands of fossils.

2. 2
   nounUK

   Alternative form of cataloguing.

   The cataloging of the herbarium specimens fell behind after two staff members left.

   Accurate cataloging is the backbone of any well-run reference library.

   Note

   A true noun, and unlike the gerund it can be counted. Catalogings is its plural, used for separate rounds of the work, while the uncountable use names the activity itself (accurate cataloging). It usually introduces what is listed with an of-phrase, as in the cataloging of the specimens. Its spelling follows the American verb form, and cataloguing is the British counterpart.

Showing meanings only. Show all 2