# reading

Pronunciation: say "REE-ding" /ˈɹiːdɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of read. — present participle and gerund of read
   - Simple: Present participle of read. Use this form for an action happening right now.
   - _He spent the whole evening reading by the fire._
   - _Reading quietly in the corner, she ignored the noise around her._

## Noun

2. The process of interpreting written language in order to understand its meaning.
   - Simple: The skill of looking at written words and understanding what they mean.
   - _Strong reading depends on both recognizing words and grasping their meaning._
   - _Years of practice made reading effortless for her._
3. The result of a measurement as displayed by the instrument used.
   - Simple: A number or value shown by a tool that measures something.
   - _The technician checked the pressure reading before opening the valve._
   - _Several readings were taken to confirm the result._
4. A particular interpretation or understanding of something, such as a text or an event.
   - Simple: A way of understanding what a text or situation means.
   - _The director's reading of the play emphasized its darker themes._
   - _Critics offered competing readings of the novel's ambiguous ending._
5. An event at which written material is read aloud to an audience.
   - Simple: A public event where someone reads writing out loud to a group of people.
   - _Hundreds turned up for the novelist's reading at the literary festival._
   - _The bookstore hosts a reading on the first Friday of every month._
6. A passage chosen from scripture or another written work and read out to a gathering.
   - Simple: A part of a book or holy text that is read out loud to listeners.
   - _The wedding included a reading from a well-known love poem._
   - _Each reading was followed by a moment of quiet reflection._
7. The interpretation of signs and symbols, or of the indications on a gauge or other measuring instrument.
   - Simple: Working out what a sign, symbol, or measuring tool is telling you.
   - _Accurate reading of the gauge prevented a costly mistake._
   - _Chart reading is essential for sailors navigating unfamiliar waters._
8. Material that is available or intended to be read.
   - Simple: Things that you can read, such as books, articles, or magazines.
   - _The investigative article makes for gripping reading._
   - _He keeps a pile of reading beside his bed._
9. One of several formal stages a bill passes through in a legislature before becoming law.
   - Simple: A stage that a proposed law goes through before it is officially passed.
   - _The bill cleared its third reading and was sent on for signature._
   - _Amendments are often introduced between a bill's readings._
10. The extent or range of what a person has read.
   - Simple: How much and how widely a person has read.
   - _His broad reading showed in every essay he wrote._
   - _Her reading in philosophy was unusually deep for her age._
11. The collection of texts that make up the reading list for a course.
   - Simple: The set of books and texts that a course asks students to read.
   - _This semester's reading includes several primary sources._
   - _She finished the assigned reading before class._
12. A pronunciation associated with a particular written character or word, especially in East Asian scripts.
   - Simple: The way a written character or word is said out loud, especially in East Asian writing.
   - _The kanji takes a different reading inside this compound word._
   - _Context usually tells you which reading fits the sentence._
13. In Go, the process of imagining sequences of moves and responses without actually placing stones.
   - Simple: In the game Go, working out future moves in your mind before you play them.
   - _Strong players rely on deep reading to predict their opponent's response._
   - _His reading failed him, and he lost the corner._

## Origin

**Meaning 1** — This comes from Middle English 'reding', from Old English 'rǣdende', the present participle of 'rǣdan' ('to read'), equivalent to read + -ing.
**Meanings 2–13** — This comes from Middle English 'reding', from Old English 'rǣding' ('reading'), equivalent to read + -ing.

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