Establishing

How to spell establishing

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce establishing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does establishing mean?

1. verbSetting something up on a firm basis, such as founding an organisation or proving a fact.

Establishing in a sentence

• The company is establishing a new branch overseas this year.

• Establishing trust with a new client takes patience and consistency.

Where does establishing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin verb stabilire, meaning 'to make firm' or 'to set steady', which was built on stabilis, 'standing firm', from the verb stare, 'to stand'. Old French reshaped stabilire into establir, and English took it in during the 1300s as 'establish', adding the familiar -ish ending also seen in 'finish' and 'punish'. The original sense was very literal: to set something on a firm footing so it would stand and last, which is still felt in modern uses about founding a business or settling a fact. The same stare root that gives us 'stable', 'station' and 'statue' is the quiet clue to that hidden -tabl- in the middle. The present participle 'establishing' simply adds -ing, and the spelling trap is that single 's' after the 'e' and the unstressed -lish ending, which sounds slighter than it looks.

How the word is built

• e- (from Latin ex-, related to making firm)
• stabil (from Latin stabilis: steady, firm)
• -ish (verb-forming suffix via French)
• -ing (present participle)