Labeling

How to spell labeling

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce labeling

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does labeling mean?

1. verbAttaching a tag, name, or descriptive mark to something to identify or categorise it.

Labeling in a sentence

• The warehouse staff spent the morning labeling every shipping box by destination.

• Clear labeling on the medicine bottle helps patients take the correct dose.

Where does labeling come from?

Language of origin: French

This is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'label', which traces back to the Old French 'label' (also spelled 'lambel'), meaning a narrow strip or ribbon, often one hanging from a headband or used to mark something. That Old French word probably came from a Germanic source related to words for a rag or cloth strip. English adopted 'label' in the 1300s, first for a strip of fabric or parchment, and by the 1600s for a small slip attached to an object to identify it. The verb 'to label' developed naturally from the noun, and modern 'labeling' simply adds '-ing'. The single 'l' before the suffix is the American convention: because the final syllable of 'label' is unstressed, American spelling keeps one 'l' (labeling), while British and Canadian writers double it (labelling), and that stress-based rule is exactly the trap.

How the word is built

• label (a tag or marker, from Old French)
• -ing (verb/noun suffix)

British and American spelling

Labeling is the American spelling. British English spells it labelling.