Remaining

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈmeɪnɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The part that remains after some has been taken away or accounted for
2. The portion still present after other parts have been removed or used up
3. The amount left over following subtraction or consumption of the whole

Etymology: "Remaining" is built from the verb "remain" plus the suffix "-ing," which turns the verb into an adjective describing something that is still left. The verb "remain" itself comes from Latin "remanere," meaning "to stay behind," built from "re-" (back) and "manere" (to stay), and entered English through Old French "remaindre." The suffix does the work here. Adding "-ing" to a verb to form an adjective describes a state of being in the middle of the action, so "the remaining students" are those who have stayed behind while others have left. That is why the word fits so naturally with subtraction: what is "remaining" is whatever has not yet been removed or used up.

Synonyms: leftover, surviving, residual, unused, extra

Antonyms: gone, spent, depleted, absent, lost