# waiting

Pronunciation: say "WAY-ting" /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of wait. — present participle and gerund of wait
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of wait. Use this form for something happening now or as the name of the action.
   - _The crowd stood waiting outside the stadium gates for hours._
   - _Waiting quietly, she watched the door for any sign of movement._

## Noun

2. The act of staying or remaining somewhere in expectation of something.
   - Simple: The act of staying somewhere until something happens.
   - _The hardest part of the journey was the waiting at the border crossing._
   - _Hours of waiting in the hospital corridor stretched her nerves thin._
3. The providing of attendance or personal service to another, especially in a formal household.
   - Simple: Service or attendance given to an important person.
   - _The gentleman in waiting accompanied the prince to every state dinner._
   - _Two maids remained in waiting throughout the duchess's long illness._

## Noun

4. The act of watching and observing, or keeping guard over someone or something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: The act of watching over or guarding something.

## Origin

**Meaning 1** — From Middle English waitinge (and forms such as waytynge and waitand), equivalent to "wait" plus the suffix "-ing".
**Meanings 2–4** — From Middle English waitynge (also waytynge), equivalent to "wait" plus the suffix "-ing".

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