Matching

How to spell matching

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce matching

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does matching mean?

1. adjectiveCorresponding in colour, design, or kind so that two or more things form a set.
2. verbThe present participle of match: comparing or pairing things that correspond.

Matching in a sentence

• adjective

  She bought a sofa with two matching armchairs.

• verb

  The software is good at matching names to records.

• adjective

  The waiters wore matching uniforms in deep navy.

• verb

  The charity is matching every donation pound for pound.

Where does matching come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows from the noun and verb 'match', which traces back to the Old English 'gemæcca', meaning a mate, a companion, or one of a pair. The 'ge-' prefix in early English often signalled togetherness, so the root idea was literally 'one who is suited to another'. From that sense of being a fitting partner came the verb meaning to bring like things together, and by the late medieval period 'match' was used for anything that corresponds to or equals another thing. The present participle 'matching' simply adds the productive '-ing' ending, and it settled into use as an adjective for things that go together by colour, size, or design. The spelling stays straightforward once you notice it keeps the silent-looking 'tch' cluster of 'match' intact before the ending.

How the word is built

• match (mate, equal, corresponding pair)
• -ing (participle/adjective suffix)