Resting

How to spell resting

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce resting

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does resting mean?

1. verbCeasing work or movement in order to relax or recover; remaining inactive or in place.
2. adjectiveDescribing a state of inactivity or a baseline measurement taken while at rest.

Resting in a sentence

• verb

  After the long shift she spent the evening resting on the sofa.

• adjective

  The nurse recorded his resting heart rate before the treadmill test.

• verb

  The climbers were resting at the halfway point before the final ascent.

• adjective

  A relaxed cat often has a calm resting posture in the afternoon sun.

Where does resting come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

The word descends from the Old English noun and verb 'rest', written 'ræst' or 'rest', which meant repose, a bed, or a peaceful pause from labour. It belonged to a wider Germanic family, with close relatives in Old High German 'rasta' and Old Norse, where the underlying sense was sometimes a measured distance one could travel before stopping to rest. The verb 'to rest' was formed alongside the noun and meant to cease activity or to remain in place. Adding the ordinary English suffix '-ing' produces the present participle and gerund 'resting', following the regular pattern that turns any verb into a form naming the ongoing action. Because the root 'rest' is short and phonetically transparent, the spelling has stayed stable for many centuries, with no silent letters or borrowed quirks to trip up the writer.

How the word is built

• rest (root: repose, cease activity)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)