# packing

Pronunciation: say "PAK-ing" US /ˈpækɪŋ/, UK /ˈpakɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The work of gathering things up and stowing them away, especially clothes in a suitcase for a trip.
   - Simple: The work of putting clothes and other things into bags or cases before a trip.
   - _His packing was so careful that nothing shifted during the flight._
   - _They divided the packing between them to save time before vacation._
2. Material used to wrap or enclose a product for sale; packaging.
   - Simple: The material that wraps or covers a product so it can be sold or shipped.
   - _Most of the packing is recyclable, so customers can put it straight in the bin._
   - _Cheap packing left the electronics rattling loose during shipment._
3. Material packed into the space around something, especially around a piston or similar part to keep water or air from getting through.
   - Simple: Soft material packed around a moving part to stop water or air from leaking out.
   - _The plumber replaced the worn packing in the valve to stop the steady drip._
   - _Old pumps relied on rope-like packing pressed tight around the moving rod._
4. A fee charged to cover the cost of packaging an order.
   - Simple: Money charged to pay for wrapping and boxing an order before it is sent.
   - _Each invoice listed the packing as a separate charge below the item price._
   - _Buyers were annoyed when the packing nearly doubled the cost of a small book._
6. The arrangement in space of objects, items, or constituent parts.
   - Simple: The way objects are fitted together to fill a space.
   - _The packing of atoms in a crystal determines many of its properties._
   - _Researchers compared the packing of spheres in two different lattices._
7. Clipping of meatpacking. *(US)* — Clipping of meatpacking.
   - Simple: Short way of saying meatpacking, the business of preparing meat.
   - _Most of the city's new immigrants found jobs in packing, working the kill floors and cutting rooms._
   - _The packing houses along the stockyards employed thousands of workers._
8. In rugby, the way players bind together to form a scrum.
   - Simple: The way rugby players come together to form a scrum.
   - _The coach drilled the packing of the front row for hours._
   - _Poor packing left the scrum unstable and the referee reset it._
9. Special material put inside containers or vessels for certain chemical processes, such as in distillation columns.
   - Simple: Material put inside a container to help a chemical process work better.
   - _The distillation column was filled with ceramic packing to improve separation._
   - _Workers replaced the fouled packing inside the absorption tower._
10. The gathering of birds, animals, and the like into a pack.
   - Simple: The coming together of animals or birds into one group.
   - _Naturalists recorded the packing of the geese in the weeks before migration._
   - _The packing of the hounds into a single group signaled the start of the hunt._

## Verb

5. Present participle of pack. — present participle and gerund of pack
   - Simple: Present participle of pack. Use this form for the action happening right now or as a name for the activity.
   - _He spent the whole evening packing boxes before the move._
   - _Packing fragile items carefully reduces the risk of breakage._

## Origin

From Middle English pakkynge, equivalent to the verb and noun pack plus the suffix -ing.

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