Producing

How to spell producing

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce producing

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does producing mean?

1. verbBringing something into existence by making, growing, or causing it.

Producing in a sentence

• The factory is producing more units than ever this quarter.

• The region has been producing excellent wine for centuries.

Where does producing come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the present participle of 'produce', which English took from the Latin verb producere, meaning 'to lead forth' or 'to bring forward'. That verb was formed from the prefix pro-, meaning 'forward', and the verb ducere, meaning 'to lead', the same root that gives us 'conduct', 'reduce', and 'introduce'. The original sense of literally leading something forward broadened into bringing things into being, extending, and manufacturing, which is why a factory and a film share the idea of 'producing'. English adopted the word in the late fifteenth century, and the spelling kept the single 'c' and the 'duc' root from Latin rather than picking up any doubling. When the verb takes the -ing ending, the silent final 'e' of 'produce' is dropped, so it becomes 'producing' rather than 'produceing', which is the small spelling point worth remembering.

How the word is built

• pro- (forth, forward)
• duc (lead, from Latin ducere 'to lead')
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)