Exhibiting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Displaying a distinct characteristic or quality in view of others
2. Presenting a particular feature or behavior openly for observation
3. Demonstrating a quality or manner that can be noticed by others

Etymology: "Exhibiting" is the present participle of "exhibit," so its story is really the story of the verb. That verb comes from Latin "exhibitus," the past participle of "exhibeō," meaning "to hold forth, present, show, display." The Latin word combines "ex," meaning "out of" or "from," with "habeō," meaning "to have, hold," so the core sense is holding something out so others can see it. The same "habeō" root gives English "habit," which shares the idea of something a person holds or keeps. The verb has kept that literal sense of putting something forward for inspection. Its modern use for showing a feature or behavior openly grew from the older notion of displaying objects, such as goods or artworks, to a crowd. Today a person might be exhibiting patience, or an animal exhibiting a trait, and in each case the word still points back to that original act of holding something out for others to see.

Synonyms: showing, displaying, presenting

Antonyms: concealing, hiding