English Reference
noun

ending

n.
US /ˈɛndɪŋ/ UK /ˈɛndɪŋ/ end·ing UK spelling endings

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    the final part of a book, movie, or event.

    the terminal part or conclusion of a narrative, performance, or sequence of events.

    Simple

    I didn't like the ending of the movie because it was too sad.

    In context

    The novel's ambiguous ending left readers debating the protagonist's ultimate fate for years after its publication.

  2. 02 B1 Intermediate Technical Science

    the letters added to the end of a word to change its meaning or grammar.

    an inflectional or derivational morpheme added to the end of a word base.

    Simple

    In English, the '-ed' ending usually shows that an action happened in the past.

    In context

    Learners often struggle with the irregular plural endings of Latin-derived nouns in academic English.

    Usage

    Commonly used when discussing verb conjugations or plural forms.

Usage ending the war


Etymology 1

From Middle English endyng, endinge, endunge, from Old English endung, ġeendung (“ending”), equivalent to end + -ing. Cognate with Dutch ending (“ending”), German Endung (“ending”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English ending, endyng, endende, from Old English endiende, from Proto-Germanic andijōndz, present participle of Proto-Germanic andijōną (“to end”), equivalent to end + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old English endung
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Common
Updated