Concerning

How to spell concerning

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce concerning

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does concerning mean?

1. prepositionAbout or relating to a particular subject; with regard to.
2. adjectiveCausing anxiety or worry; troubling.

Concerning in a sentence

• preposition

  The email raised several questions concerning the new contract.

• adjective

  The sudden drop in sales was deeply concerning to the board.

• preposition

  She filed a complaint concerning the noise from the building site.

• adjective

  The doctor found the test results somewhat concerning and ordered more checks.

Where does concerning come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word grows out of the verb 'concern', which English took in the 1400s from Old French 'concerner' and ultimately from the Latin 'concernere'. That Latin verb combined 'con-' meaning 'together' with 'cernere', meaning 'to sift, to separate, or to distinguish', so the literal idea was something like 'to mix together' or 'to sift thoroughly'. In medieval Latin the sense drifted toward 'to relate to' or 'to have reference to', which is why the modern preposition 'concerning' simply means 'about' or 'regarding'. The adjectival use, meaning 'causing worry', is much younger and grew from the everyday verb sense of 'to trouble or affect someone'. The same 'cernere' root quietly survives in words like 'discern' and 'certain', and the doubled inner 'c' followed by 'cern' is the part writers most often need to picture.

How the word is built

• con- (with, together)
• cern (to sift, distinguish, from Latin cernere)
• -ing (suffix forming preposition/adjective)