Airing

How to spell airing

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce airing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does airing mean?

1. nounThe act of exposing something to fresh or warm air to dry or freshen it.
2. nounAn instance of a programme being broadcast on radio or television.
3. nounThe act of stating opinions, complaints, or concerns openly.

Airing in a sentence

• The damp towels need a good airing before they go back in the cupboard.

• The documentary got its first airing on the national channel last night.

• The meeting allowed a full airing of everyone's concerns about the budget.

• She gave the spare bedroom an airing by opening every window.

• The interview is scheduled for an early morning airing.

• A public airing of the dispute did little to resolve it.

Where does airing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is simply the noun and gerund formed from the verb 'air' plus the native English ending -ing. The root 'air' came into English in the 1200s through Old French 'air', which descended from Latin 'aer', itself borrowed from the Greek 'aer', meaning the lower atmosphere or the mist near the ground (as opposed to the bright upper sky). The verb sense of exposing something to fresh air, and from there drying or ventilating it, developed in English by the 1500s, and the noun 'an airing' for such an exposure followed soon after. By extension the word came to mean making something public, whether a complaint that is brought into the open or a programme that is broadcast on radio or television. The spelling is straightforward once you remember it is just 'air' with -ing added, so the silent middle keeps the single 'r' rather than doubling.

How the word is built

• air (root, from Latin aer 'air')
• -ing (suffix forming a gerund or verbal noun)