Reading

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːdɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of interpreting written or printed material ; the way information or data is understood or interpreted ; the act of speaking written text aloud to an audience
2. Process by which text is deciphered and understood ; a personal or collective grasp of information ; the oral delivery of a written work before listeners
3. A skill of interpreting characters, words, or symbols on a page ; comprehension or perception of data or messages ; a vocal rendering of text for others to hear

Etymology: The word "reading" is simple in construction: it is the verb "read" with the suffix "-ing" attached. Its Old English ancestors show that the form was in use long before the modern era. Old English had both "rǣdende", the present participle of "rǣdan" ("to read"), and "rǣding", a noun meaning the act of reading, and Middle English carried both forms forward into "reding", "redyng", and "redunge". The verb "rǣdan" originally carried a sense of advising or interpreting, not just decoding letters. Its relatives in other Germanic languages point to the idea of giving counsel, and the English verb kept that interpretive flavour, which is why "reading" can mean understanding a text or a situation, not merely sounding out its words.

Synonyms: perusal, study, interpretation, examination, analysis

Antonyms: ignorance, neglect, overlooking