Building

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɪl.dɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A constructed entity that serves as a shelter or workspace for different purposes
2. An erected structure designed to accommodate people or activities across residential, commercial, or institutional uses
3. A man-made edifice with a framework of walls and a roof providing indoor space ; the act or process involved in assembling materials to create a structure

Etymology: The noun "building" is about as transparent as English gets: it is "build" with the suffix "-ing", which turns a verb into a noun for the act or result of the action. Medieval English speakers made exactly this formation, and the Middle English spellings "bildynge" and "byldynge" show the word taking shape as a noun meaning the process and product of constructing something. The more interesting thread runs through a neighbouring word. Before "building" settled into its current sense, English already had "bold", from Old English, meaning a building, dwelling or house. That older word survives today mainly in place names and in the Middle English sense of an edifice, castle or mansion, so the same idea of a shelter made by people was once expressed by two different-looking words that sat side by side in the language.

Synonyms: structure, edifice, construction

Antonyms: demolition, destruction