Hinged

How to spell hinged

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce hinged

What does hinged mean?

1. adjectiveFitted with a hinge or hinges so that it can swing or fold.
2. verbPast tense of hinge: depended on or turned upon a particular factor.

Hinged in a sentence

• adjective

  The hinged lid of the box snapped shut on its own.

• verb

  The whole deal hinged on a single signature.

• adjective

  The cabinet has a hinged door at each end.

• verb

  Her promotion hinged on the success of one project.

Where does hinged come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word grows out of the Middle English noun 'henge' or 'hinge', the jointed device on which a door or lid swings, which is closely tied to the verb 'hang' and the Old English 'hangian', meaning to be suspended. The underlying Germanic root carried the literal idea of something that hangs or turns on a pivot, so a hinge was understood as the point from which a door hangs and rotates. From the concrete sense of a swinging joint the verb developed a figurative meaning by the 1700s: to 'hinge on' something is to turn or depend upon it, just as a door turns on its hinge. The spelling keeps the soft 'g' sound by ending in -ge, which is why adding -ed simply drops the silent 'e' to give 'hinged' rather than doubling any letter. The same hanging idea links it to the everyday words 'hang' and 'hangar'.

How the word is built

• hinge (from Old English/Middle English hengen: to hang)
• -ed (past tense / adjective suffix)