Walkings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The acts or instances of moving at a regular pace by lifting and setting down each foot in turn without running ; the habitual practice or exercise of ambulation for health or leisure ; successive steps taken in sequence for traveling on foot or covering a distance
2. The process of traveling by foot using a steady, alternating foot motion ; repeated actions of going on foot for pleasure, exercise, or transport ; continuous progress made by placing one foot before the other in a routine manner
3. The continuous activity of shifting weight and placing feet forward to move along a path ; common forms of human locomotion involving the placement of feet alternately ; various episodes of moving around using a natural, non-running gait

Etymology: "Walkings" is simply the plural of "walking," so it is best understood through that base word. The plural form appears when speakers want to count separate instances of the activity, as in "the walkings of a long summer." The noun "walking" descends from Old English "wealcende," a form of the verb "wealcan," which carried the sense "to roll, trample, walk." That Old English verb traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to roll or trample," and the sense of trampling and rolling is an early one for the word group. Over the centuries, the verb narrowed to the idea of moving on foot, while the surviving English "walk" retained the physical rhythm of stepping in turn. In Middle English the form became "walkynge" or "walkinge," which then settled into the modern "walking." The ending "-ing" is the familiar suffix that turns a verb into a noun for an action, so "walking" literally means "the act of walking." The plural "walkings" follows the same logic, naming separate occasions or stretches of that action.

Synonyms: strolls, marches, hikes, treks, ambulations

Antonyms: runnings, standings, sitings, riding, restings