Editing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɛdɪtɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of altering and refining written or visual material to enhance its clarity and effectiveness involves making systematic improvements and adjustments
2. It encompasses the practice of revising text or media through careful evaluation and modification for better overall quality
3. The process of reviewing and correcting a text or visual work to improve accuracy and flow

Etymology: Editing looks like a simple verb, but it was built backwards from a noun. English took "editor" from Medieval Latin "ēditor", a person who puts something out or brings it forth, formed from the Latin "ēdere", "to give out" or "publish". Only later was "edit" carved out of "editor" as if the -or ending were a suffix to strip away, a process called back-formation. In other words, the person came first and the action was invented to describe what that person did. The verb was also shaped by French. The French "éditer", meaning to edit or publish, fed into the English verb, and the Latin "editus", the past participle of "ēdere", reinforced the sense of something brought out into public view. So the modern sense of preparing a text for publication, and then of revising any text or media for quality, grew from the idea of giving something out to the world.

Synonyms: revising, modifying, correcting, altering, refining

Antonyms: neglecting, overlooking, ignoring, disregarding, abandoning