Groundbreaking

How to spell groundbreaking

14 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce groundbreaking

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does groundbreaking mean?

1. adjectiveMarking an important new development; pioneering and original.
2. nounThe act of beginning excavation for a new building or project, often marked by a formal ceremony.

Groundbreaking in a sentence

• adjective

  The laboratory published a groundbreaking study on early cancer detection.

• noun

  The mayor attended the groundbreaking for the new hospital wing.

• adjective

  Her groundbreaking research changed how engineers design bridges.

• noun

  Heavy rain delayed the groundbreaking on the office tower by two weeks.

Where does groundbreaking come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a transparent English compound, built from 'ground' and 'break', both of which are native Germanic words inherited from Old English. 'Ground' descends from the Old English 'grund', meaning the bottom, the foundation, or the surface of the earth, while 'break' comes from the Old English 'brecan', meaning to shatter or force open. The literal phrase 'breaking ground' originally described the moment of first turning the soil, whether for ploughing a field or beginning a building, and the compound adjective was used in that practical construction sense well before it turned figurative. By the twentieth century, 'groundbreaking' had taken on its now dominant meaning of pioneering or innovative, picturing a person who digs into entirely new territory that no one has worked before. Because it is just two everyday words joined together, the only real spelling decision is whether to fuse them, and the modern standard is the single solid word.

How the word is built

• ground (the earth's surface)
• break (to open or split)
• -ing (forming adjective/noun)