Answering

How to spell answering

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce answering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does answering mean?

1. verbResponding to a question, message, call, or request.

Answering in a sentence

• She spent the whole morning answering emails from clients.

• Answering the phone politely is part of the receptionist's job.

Where does answering come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English andswaru, a noun meaning 'a reply' or 'a response', which was built from and-, meaning 'against' or 'in return', and a root related to swerian, 'to swear' or 'to affirm'. The original sense was strikingly formal: an answer was essentially a sworn statement made against a charge or an accusation, which is why the word carried a legal flavour for centuries. Over time the solemn courtroom meaning faded and the verb came to cover any sort of reply, whether spoken, written, or even mechanical, as in answering a door or a telephone. The present participle 'answering' simply adds the familiar -ing ending to that ancient verb. The spelling trap lives in the silent 'w' tucked between 'ans' and 'er', a fossil of the old swear root that the modern pronunciation no longer voices.

How the word is built

• and- (against, in return)
• swer (to swear, affirm)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)