Gifting

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɪftɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The action of bestowing an item upon someone to celebrate a special occasion or achievement
2. The act of giving something valuable or meaningful to another person as a sign of appreciation or celebration
3. The process of offering an item voluntarily to someone as a token of goodwill or affection

Etymology: Old English "gift" meant "payment," and its plural "giftas" was a common word for marriage, because a bride-price passed from the groom's family to the bride's. Our sense of a present given freely came later. The German word "Gift" still means "poison," a false friend that comes from the same Germanic root, which once covered both payment and poison. The verb "to gift," meaning to give something as a present, developed from the noun and was long considered a somewhat new-fangled use. The form "gifting" as a noun for the act of giving is more recent, and it has become common in modern commerce and social life, especially in phrases like corporate gifting.

Synonyms: giving, presenting, offering, donating, granting

Antonyms: withholding, taking, seizing, removing, denying