Linking

How to spell linking

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce linking

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does linking mean?

1. verbConnecting two or more things, or joining them so they relate to or depend on each other.
2. adjectiveDescribing a verb that joins the subject of a sentence to a word that describes it, such as 'is' or 'seems'.

Linking in a sentence

• verb

  Linking the two bank accounts let her move money instantly.

• adjective

  The teacher explained that a linking verb connects the subject to a description rather than an action.

• verb

  The study found a clear linking of poor sleep to lower productivity.

• adjective

  In the sentence 'she is tired', the word 'is' acts as a linking verb.

Where does linking come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

The base word link comes from the Old Norse hlekkr, meaning a single ring of a chain, and it spread into Middle English in the form 'linke' during the 1300s and 1400s, helped by Scandinavian settlement in northern England. The earliest meaning was strictly physical: one of the metal loops that join together to make a chain. From that concrete image the word broadened to mean any connection between things, and then the figurative sense of a tie between ideas, people, or facts. The form 'linking' is simply the present participle and gerund, made by adding the productive English suffix -ing, which has named ongoing actions since Old English. The spelling stays delightfully regular here, since link ends in a hard consonant cluster you keep the final k and just add -ing, with no doubling and no dropped letters.

How the word is built

• link (a connecting loop or tie, from Old Norse)
• -ing (forming the gerund/present participle)