Changing

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of modifying or altering something distinctly occurs during a period of transformation and results in a different state or form
2. In the process of transition, something is altered or modified, leading to a new or different condition or appearance
3. The action of becoming different or causing something to become different, involving a shift from one state, condition, or form to another

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "changing" is how crooked its ancestry is. The verb traces back to a Gaulish word, "cambion", meaning "change", which is related to a Proto-Celtic root meaning "twisted" or "crooked". Something that turns and bends, in other words, became the image for something that alters. The Latin "cambīre" meant "to exchange" or "barter", and from it Late Latin formed "cambiāre", which passed into Old French as "changier". English took the verb in Middle English as "changen" or "chaungen", and it has been in use since the 13th century. It pushed out an older native verb, "wendan", "to turn or change", which survives today only in the word "wend". The noun "change" came into English from Old French in the same way, and the Latin "cambium" also survives in English as a doublet, a separate borrowing of the same root. Because "changing" is simply the present participle and gerund of "change", its meaning comes straight from the verb, and the verb's history is the whole story.

Synonyms: modifying, altering, varying, transforming, adjusting

Antonyms: unchanging, constant, stable, fixed, static