Killing

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkɪl.ɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of ending a life by violence, whether intentional or accidental, encompasses acts of murder or self-defense
2. It refers to the process of taking someone's life, either through direct action or enacting the death penalty
3. The act of causing the death of a person or animal ; a thing or event that is extremely impressive or enjoyable

Etymology: "Killing" is a plain formation: the verb "kill" with the suffix "-ing" attached, the same ending that turns verbs into nouns and gerunds across English. The noun sense of the act of putting someone to death, and the adjective sense "causing death," both grow directly out of that verb. The verb itself is the more puzzling part. "Kill" is not inherited from Old English, which used "cwellan" for "to kill" (a word that survives in "quell"). The Middle English form "kyllen" appeared later, and its origin is uncertain, with no well-established ancestor in the older languages of England. The noun, recorded in Middle English as "kyllyng," shows the same suffix at work: from the earliest surviving texts it names the act of killing rather than any object. Its meaning has also widened in modern use to include a sudden or large financial success, as in "making a killing."

Synonyms: murder, slaying, execution, assassination, homicide

Antonyms: birth, creation, life