Shopping

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈʃɒpɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of going to various stores to acquire merchandise or services
2. The practice of exploring and purchasing items from various retailers for personal enjoyment or need
3. The activity of visiting shops to select and purchase items needed or desired

Etymology: "Shopping" is simply "shop" with the suffix "-ing" attached, and the suffix is the part that does the interesting work. "Shop" itself came into English from Old French "eschoppe" (a booth or stall), and its earlier meaning was a stall or workplace rather than a place of retail. Adding "-ing" turned the activity of working at or visiting such a place into a noun for the activity of buying goods, a sense that developed as shops themselves became centres of selling. The verb use follows the same pattern: to go shopping is to visit shops with the purpose of buying, while the older sense of "shop" as a verb meant to work in a shop or to put someone in a workplace. The gerund form therefore names an activity that grew out of the place where it happens.

Synonyms: purchasing, buying, acquisition

Antonyms: selling