Targeting

How to spell targeting

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce targeting

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does targeting mean?

1. verbDirecting an action, product, or attention towards a particular person, group, or objective.

Targeting in a sentence

• The campaign was targeting younger commuters with cheaper fares.

• The software is good at targeting the exact cell you tap.

Where does targeting come from?

Language of origin: French

This word grows from the noun 'target', which English took from the Old French 'targette', a diminutive meaning 'little shield'. That in turn came from 'targe', a light round shield carried by foot soldiers, a word that ultimately traces back to a Germanic source meaning 'shield' or 'border'. Through the 1500s a 'target' shifted from the shield itself to the round marked board that archers and gunners aimed at in practice, and from there to any object of aim or attention. The verb 'to target' was built on the noun much later, mainly in the twentieth century, giving us 'targeting' for the act of directing something at a chosen point. The spelling trap lives in that single 't' before '-ing': because the stress falls on the first syllable (TAR-get), the final consonant is not doubled, so it stays 'targeting' and never 'targetting'.

How the word is built

• target (a mark to aim at)
• -ing (present participle / gerund suffix)