Working

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈwɜːkɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Performing its intended function or operation ; involved actively in a job or task ; producing a desired effect or outcome
2. Carrying out its designated activity properly ; participating in work or labor ; achieving successful or effective results
3. Operating as expected or designed ; occupied with employment or practical activity ; demonstrating effectiveness or usefulness

Etymology: "Working" is a simple case: it is the verbal noun of the Old English verb "wyrċan" ("to work"), formed by adding the suffix "-ing" to "work", which is why the word is related to the German "Wirkung" ("effect"). Its Old English form, "wyrċing", was a noun for the act of working, and the adjective sense seems to have developed from the participle "wyrċende", the source of the present-tense "working" we use for a machine that runs or a person who is employed. Its Middle English spellings, such as "werking" and "worchinge", show how much the vowels shifted before the modern spelling settled. The word's surprising connection is with its German cousin. "Wirkung" means "effect" or "consequence", so a working machine in German is still tied to the idea of producing an effect. English took the same root and kept its meaning closer to "functioning", so a working model is one that produces the result it was built for.

Synonyms: active, employed, functional

Antonyms: idle, inactive, unemployed