# eating

Pronunciation: say "EE-ting" US /ˈitɪŋ/, UK /ˈiːtɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of eat. — present participle and gerund of eat
   - Simple: Present participle of eat. Use this form for something happening now, often after 'is' or 'are'.
   - _Several guests were still eating when the speeches began._
   - _Eating together each night keeps the family close._

## Noun

2. The act of taking food into the body by swallowing it.
   - Simple: The act of taking food into the body.
   - _Doctors recommend mindful eating to prevent overeating at meals._
   - _Eating became uncomfortable for her after the dental surgery._
5. Food; cooking or cuisine. *(dialectal)*
   - Simple: Food, especially food that is good to eat.
   - _The smokehouse turns out some of the best eating in the valley._
   - _Those river trout were mighty fine eating that summer._
6. The act of corroding or wearing away a substance.
   - Simple: The slow wearing away of something, such as metal worn down by acid.
   - _Engineers worried about the eating of the hull by saltwater corrosion._
   - _The constant eating of the riverbank by the current widened the channel._

## Adjective

3. Bred for the purpose of being eaten.
   - Simple: Grown or raised to be eaten.
   - _An eating apple is bred for crisp sweetness rather than for baking._
   - _These eating pears ripen to a soft, juicy texture._
4. Suitable for eating without being cooked first.
   - Simple: Good to eat raw, without any cooking.
   - _Greengrocers shelve the eating apples separately from those meant for stewing._
   - _This is an eating variety, sweet enough to need no cooking._

## Origin

From Middle English etynge, which came from Old English eting.

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