Advertising

How to spell advertising

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce advertising

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does advertising mean?

1. nounThe activity or industry of promoting products, services, or ideas to the public.
2. adjectiveRelating to the promotion of products or services.

Advertising in a sentence

• noun

  The company spends most of its budget on advertising.

• adjective

  The firm hired a new advertising agency to refresh its brand.

• noun

  A career in advertising suited her flair for catchy slogans.

• adjective

  She works in the advertising department of a large retailer.

Where does advertising come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb advertere, which literally meant 'to turn toward', formed from ad- 'to' and vertere 'to turn'. The idea was of turning one's attention or mind toward something, and the related advertentia carried the sense of giving notice or paying heed. English took the word through Old French advertir and avertir, and by the fifteenth century 'advertise' meant 'to take notice of' or 'to warn'. Over time the emphasis shifted from the audience noticing to the seller making a thing noticed, and by the eighteenth century 'advertising' described the public promotion of goods and services. The same vertere root, meaning 'to turn', also gives us convert, reverse, and version, and remembering that turning idea helps fix the 'vert' in the middle of the spelling.

How the word is built

• ad- (toward)
• vert (turn)
• -ise (verb suffix)
• -ing (present participle/gerund)