concerning

The word 'concerning' originates from the Latin verb concernere, meaning "to sift together" or "to mix," which is composed of con- (together) and cernere (to sift, separate, decide). This evolved in Late Latin to mean "to relate to" or "to be of importance to." In Middle English, it was adopted via Old French concerner with the sense "to pertain to." The addition of the present participle suffix -ing transformed the verb into an adjective and later a preposition. The modern dual meaning reflects this journey: the prepositional sense ("relating to") stems directly from the idea of connection, while the adjectival sense ("worrying") developed from the notion of something being of critical personal importance or relevance.

Structure: concern (to relate to, to worry) + ing (adjective/participle suffix) - concern: From Latin concernere (to sift, mix, or mingle together, to relate to), via Middle French concerner. In this word, it functions as the core verb root. - ing: A suffix of Old English origin, used here to form the present participle, which can function as an adjective or a preposition.