Purposing

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of creating a distinct goal or intention The process of planning an objective to reach a desired outcome Engaging in the establishment of a purposeful aim or direction
2. The act or process of setting a specific aim or goal to achieve a result
3. Developing a clear plan or target to guide actions toward desired ends

Etymology: "Purposing" is the present participle of "purpose", and the verb's history runs through a Latin verb meaning "to set forth." Latin "prōpōnere" combined "prō-", meaning "forth," with "pōnere," "to place or put," so its literal sense was to put something out in front of others. Old French turned this into "purposer," "to propose," and English borrowed it in the Middle Ages as "purposen," which still carried that sense of putting an idea forward for consideration. The modern meaning of setting a clear aim came later, as the notion of a "proposal" shifted toward the intention behind it. The English noun "purpose" grew from the same root, and the verb form now means shaping an intention into a plan that steers action toward a goal. The "pur-" in the spelling is a surface resemblance: it looks like a prefix, but it reflects the Latin "prō-" that came into French and English through this route.

Synonyms: planning, intending, designing, aiming, targeting

Antonyms: neglecting, ignoring, disregarding, abandoning, forsaking