# sailing

Pronunciation: say "SAY-ling" /ˈseɪ.lɪŋ/

## Noun

1. Movement across a body of water in a wind-powered craft, whether as a sport or otherwise.
   - Simple: The sport or activity of moving across water in a boat pushed by the wind.
   - _Coastal villages here treat sailing as both a livelihood and a weekend pleasure._
   - _After years of motorboats, he rediscovered the quiet of sailing._
3. The art of navigation; the skill needed to operate and steer a vessel.
   - Simple: The skill of steering and guiding a boat or ship across water.
   - _Years before the mast had sharpened his sailing to an instinct._
   - _The academy tests sailing alongside navigation and weather knowledge._
5. A ship or ferry crossing or voyage that departs at a scheduled time.
   - Simple: A planned trip made by a ship or ferry at a set time.
   - _The afternoon sailing was delayed by high winds in the channel._
   - _Extra sailings are added between the islands during the summer rush._
6. The time at which a ship departs from a port.
   - Simple: The set time when a ship leaves a port.
   - _Fog pushed sailing back by three hours that morning._
   - _The crew completed final checks just minutes before sailing._

## Verb

2. Present participle of sail. — present participle and gerund of sail
   - Simple: Present participle of sail. Use this form for an action happening right now.
   - _The crew is sailing through rough seas tonight._
   - _Sailing past the lighthouse, they waved at the keeper._

## Adjective

4. Moving or traveling from one place to another by ship.
   - Simple: Going from place to place by ship.
   - _The sailing pilgrims described weeks of storms before reaching the holy port._
   - _Sailing traders dominated the spice routes for centuries._

## Origin

**Meanings 2, 4** — From Middle English saylinge (variants seilinge, sailende), equivalent to sail plus -ing. It is related to Dutch zeilend, meaning "sailing".
**Meanings 1, 3, 5–6** — From Middle English sailyng, from Old English seġling or seġlung ("sailing"), going back through Proto-West Germanic *siglingu to Proto-Germanic *siglingō ("sailing"); equivalent to sail plus -ing. It is related to Swedish segling and Icelandic sigling, both meaning "sailing".

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