Hangynge

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Dangling or suspended from above without support beneath ; a cloth drape fixed to a wall as decoration ; the execution of someone by suspending them from a rope
2. Swinging freely from a fixed point overhead ; a tapestry or fabric covering attached to a wall for ornament ; a method of putting a condemned person to death with a noose
3. Supported only at the top and free below ; wall drapery made of woven or embroidered cloth ; capital punishment carried out by a rope around the neck

Etymology: "Hangynge" is a Middle English spelling of the present participle "hanging," the form used for an ongoing state of suspension or for a dangling thing. The verb behind it comes from Old English, where "hōn" and the causative "hengan" (to cause to hang) were related but distinct verbs that later merged into the single modern "hang." The spelling "-ynge" reflects the Middle English ending "-ing," which descends from the Old English participle ending "-ende."