Piling

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpaɪlɪŋ/

Definitions

1. A collection of items or materials stacked together, especially for support or storage, can refer to a heap of gathered elements or a foundation element in construction
2. A mass of objects stacked on top of one another is often used in construction as a structural element or can indicate a gathered accumulation of similar items
3. A group of items placed atop each other can serve both as a means of storage and as foundational supports in buildings

Etymology: "Piling" is the present participle and gerund of "pile," and the verb's history runs through several separate English words that happen to share a spelling. One strand comes from Latin "pila," meaning pillar or pier, which reached English through Old French and Middle English. Another comes from the Latin "pilum," a heavy javelin, which entered Old English as "pīl" and gave us the sense of an arrow or dart; that same line connects to Dutch "pijl" and German "Pfeil." A third traces back to Latin "pilus," meaning hair, whose Middle English descendant sits behind the sense of a nap or fuzzy surface on cloth. The noun sense of a heap or stack comes most directly from the pillar strand, which fits the idea of objects built up one on another. The construction sense of a driven post or foundation member is the same pillar idea applied to building.

Synonyms: stacking, accumulating, heaping, assembling, gathering

Antonyms: dismantling, dispersing, scattering, reducing, decreasing